The time trial of the Titano digs deeper furrows in the Giro classification than expected. Thanks to a Primoz Roglic who once again put the turbo into the pedals yesterday, as in San Luca, asphalting a good portion of competitors. Among the big names only Vincenzo Nibali survived this sort of Slovenian "Caterpillar", good at limiting the damage to just over a minute. Simon Yates collapses, leaving Roglic 3'11 on the ramps of San Marino, placing himself like any other Carneade in 31st place. Worse than the British is Miguel Angel Lopez who sinks to the point of being almost reached by Nibali who started three minutes later.
Ranking which sees Roglic leap to second place at 1'50” from a generous Valerio Conti who manages to keep the pink jersey despite the hurricane that hits him, last sprint from Riccione. Nibali, who climbed up to 11th place at 3'34" from the pink jersey, will start again on Tuesday, after this Monday rest, with a gap from Roglic of 1'42".
In this gap of just over a hundred seconds lies all the charm of the Giro to come, the one that after nine stages has finally made its first convincing nominations, identifying who are the two duelists for the final victory, because outside of Nibali it becomes difficult see who else might oppose Roglic. To give the extent of his exploits on the Titan, it is enough to scroll through the gaps that the Slovenian – with the exception of Nibali – inflicted on his rivals: Yates, as mentioned, over 3 minutes, Landa at 3'03", Davide Formolo at 2'52" , Lopez at 3'45”.
The only rider to contend for success in Roglic right to the very end was the Belgian Victor Campenaerts who is by no means a nobody as he is the new holder of the hour record, the first in the world to break through the 55 km wall, a record which in the Coppi and Anquetil years he made the holder as famous as a Tour winner. time. Bauke Mollema was unable to undermine him, finishing second behind him for 49”. After the Dutchman the danger loomed Nibali, indicated in great fashion but the Shark was more than satisfied to finish 4” behind Mollema.
Yates was so late that Campenaerts could write off a dreaded rival before he even arrived. With pride and more and more smiling, he showed a luminous figure on his notebook from the stage: 55,089. Those were the kilometers covered in an hour on the Mexican track of Aguacallientes, dethroning Bradley Wiggins. But Roglic was still missing. When the yellow-black jersey of the Slovenian, who has never broken down even in the toughest stretches, comes out on the last corner, Campenaerts understands that his hours-long dream is fading. And in fact he vanishes for 11 ”.
And the Belgian's rage bursts out, held back until then, recalling the seconds lost due to a bad bike change by his team, Lotto-Soudal, at the start of the ramps leading to San Marino. Now to brand a stage of the Giro with his name, he only has the final time trial in Verona, hoping that his legs don't turn to lead having to overcome the Alps and the Dolomites.
