‘Bigger differences than Blockhaus’ – Arensman, O’Connor, Gee-West reflect on decisive role of 42km Giro d’Italia time trial as hunt for maglia rosa evolves

Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos) may have delivered a blistering victory in the 42km time trial on stage 10 at the Giro d’Italia, but a closer look at the results revealed some head-turning performances among the general classification contenders with Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos), Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) and Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) all moving closer to the maglia rosa.

The 42km race against the clock followed a flat and fast course along the beaches of the Tuscan coast from Viareggio to Massa, and while it was always meant to be for powerful specialists like Ganna, many believed that it would not be enough to counterbalance all the climbing, 49,150 metres and seven summit finishes, in this year’s race.