Filippo Ganna beats strong Juan Ayuso in Volta ao Algarve time trial
Filippo Ganna won the time trial at the Volta ao Algarve. The Italian held off Juan Ayuso, Jakob Söderqvist, Paul Seixas, and Thymen Arensman in Vilamoura. Ayuso remains the race leader thanks to his strong time trial, while Arensman made a huge leap up the standings.
What kind of time trial was it?
On Friday, a 19.6-kilometer individual time trial to and from Vilamoura was scheduled in the Volta ao Algarve. The course had hardly any elevation and was suited for powerful riders.
Who was early on the hot seat during the time trial?
Early in the stage, we saw Johan Price-Pejtersen post a strong time. The Dane clocked in at 22:47 and held the hot seat for quite some time until Jakob Söderqvist significantly improved the mark. He set a time of 22:01.
Who won the time trial?
Söderqvist did not enjoy his spot in the hot seat for long, as top favorite Filippo Ganna finished just minutes later. The Italian bettered the Swede’s time by about seven seconds and saw no one beating his time thereafter.
How did the GC contenders perform?
Juan Ayuso delivered the best time trial among the GC contenders. At the first checkpoint, he was even a second faster than Ganna. In the end, he fell just a few seconds short of the stage win. Paul Seixas limited his losses, while Joao Almeida lost more than half a minute to his rivals.
Further down in the standings, Thymen Arensman rode an excellent time trial. The Dutchman finished fifth, only 22 seconds behind Ganna. Since Arensman was thirteenth in the overall classification before, he made a significant jump and now sits fifth.
