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Giro d’Italia long time trial: Evenepoel back in pink, Roglič limits losses

Giro d'Italia long time trial: Evenepoel back in pink, Roglič limits losses

Remco Evenepoel yanked back the pink jersey from Andreas Leknessund on Sunday by winning the 106th Giro d’Italia’s longest time trial by a single second over Geraint Thomas. Evenepoel now leads Thomas at the top of the GC by 45 seconds. The world champion took back all the time he lost to Primož Roglič on Saturday’s course. Canada’s Derek Gee was 44th.

The Course

Sunday was the longest of the three individual chronos at 35 km. This flat route from Savignano sul Rubicone to Cesena held three intermediate time checks at the 13 km, 23 km and 29 km marks. It was another wet day at the Giro.

In the early going the lead changed several times. Michael Hepburn (Australia/Jayco-AlUla) headed to the hot seat with 42:37. Bauke Mollema turned back to the clock to 42:43 but Stefan Küng and teammate Bruno Armirail were going great guns on the course. Once the top-20 started, there were three minutes between riders’ start times.

Bruno Armirail killed it with 41:32 but didn’t even get to sit on the hot seat as Küng posted 41:28 moments later.

King Küng soon felt the Ineos duo of Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart breathing down his neck, as both set better intermediate times at the first check. Roglič only could make the ninth-best time there. Evenepoel then earned the best time at Check 1 with 14:45. Roglič had already lost 31 seconds to the Belgian.

The Ineos duo was still flying along the course, setting best intermediate times. Thomas flipped Küng off the throne. Roglič paced well, only conceding 16 seconds. Evenepoel’s victory over Thomas was only a second.

Thomas, Geoghengan Hart, Roglič, João Almeida and Leknessund are the only riders within 1:07 of Evenepoel on GC.

Monday is the first, well-deserved rest day for the riders.

2023 Giro d’Italia Stage 9
1) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) 41:24
2) Geraint Thomas (Great Britain/Ineos) +0:01
3) Tao Geoghegan Hart (Great…

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