Filippo Ganna claimed victory in the shortened time trial at the Vuelta a España. On the flat, just 12.2-kilometer course, the Italian was exactly one second faster than Jay Vine. In the battle for the overall win, Joao Almeida clawed back ten seconds on the red jersey holder Jonas Vingegaard.
The time trial in Valladolid was originally supposed to be 27.2 kilometers, but was significantly shortened to ensure rider safety. The organizers made this decision due to the threat of new large-scale protests. From the original distance around Valladolid, only 12.2 kilometers remained. The course was flat and did not include too many corners.
Ganna replaces Hoole
In the opening hour, the main favorites for the stage win were immediately in action. Among them was Daan Hoole, who recently won a time trial in the Giro d'Italia. The Dutch rider from Lidl-Trek posted the best time at the line, but along the way Ethan Vernon was slightly faster. The British rider from Israel-Premier Tech had to concede two seconds to Hoole at the finish. However, Hoole’s time on the hot seat didn’t last very long. Top favorite Filippo Ganna delivered a masterpiece of a time. The Italian smashed Hoole’s time by a full 19 seconds.
Daan Hoole - photo: Cor Vos
None of the next starters really came close to Ganna. Men like Ivo Oliveira, Kelland O'Brien, and Alec Segaert did slot in between Ganna and Hoole. The biggest threat to the Italian now seemed to be Stefan Küng. The Swiss rider from Groupama-FDJ posted the best split times at the intermediate checkpoints (after 4 and 8 kilometers), but he noticeably slowed in the final section. He finished with the third-best time at that moment – behind Ganna and also conceding to Oliveira.
Ganna one second faster than Vine
That Ganna had an incredibly fast final section was once again proven when Jay Vine came in. The Australian recorded even quicker split times than Küng, but at the finish line he had to bow to Ganna as well. The margin, however, was minimal: Vine fell just one second short of claiming the top spot.
Vine came just short - photo: Cor Vos
It was up to the favorites to try to dislodge Ganna from the top spot. Lightweight Matthew Riccitello probably wouldn't win the time trial, but he posted a solid time at the finish. He would (albeit narrowly) move ahead of direct rival Felix Gall in the standings. Meanwhile, Tom Pidcock solidified his third place over Jai Hindley by gaining three seconds on the Australian. But most eyes were naturally on Joao Almeida and Jonas Vingegaard. How would their duel unfold? And could one of them still threaten Ganna?
Almeida versus Vingegaard
At the first intermediate checkpoint, Almeida already held the advantage over Vingegaard with the fourth-best time. The Portuguese was two seconds faster than the Dane there. At the second checkpoint, Vingegaard lost an additional second. In the final section, Almeida pushed harder, ultimately clawing back ten seconds on Vingegaard. The gap between the two top contenders is now forty seconds. In the stage results, the Portuguese rider took third place, behind Vine and stage winner Ganna.
Vuelta a España| Rank | Rider | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13:00 | |
| 2 | + 01 | |
| 3 | + 08 | |
| 4 | + 10 | |
| 5 | + 11 | |
| 6 | + 12 | |
| 7 | + 15 | |
| 8 | + 16 | |
| 9 | + 18 | |
| 10 | + 19 |
