Dream start for Thymen Arensman in Tirreno-Adriatico, many climbers already far behind

Filippo Ganna was the big winner of the opening time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico, but his teammate Thymen Arensman can also look back very satisfied at his effort. The Dutchman claimed an impressive second place in the stage results and, above all, made significant gains in the battle for the overall victory.

After just 11.5 kilometers of racing, the Dutch rider had already built a substantial lead over several key GC contenders. Primoz Roglic managed to limit the damage: the Slovenian is now only nine seconds behind Arensman.

There is no cause for alarm for Antonio Tiberi, Isaac Del Toro, and Giulio Pellizzari, given their still modest deficits in the general classification. For Matteo Jorgenson, the leader of Visma | Lease a Bike, the situation looks slightly less promising. He trails Arensman by 22 seconds.

Significant gaps
Looking further down the standings, top riders like Jai Hindley (+27 seconds), Santiago Buitrago (+28 seconds), Michael Storer (+33 seconds), and Richard Carapaz (+54 seconds) already have substantial time to make up.

The biggest loser after the opening time trial is found within the Lotto-Intermarché camp. Lennert Van Eetvelt - who crashed hard at Strade Bianche but still started with GC ambitions - is trailing by 1:17 behind Arensman.