The beginning and end of the 10km time trial took place in city streets and partly on blocks. Which was especially unpleasant at the end when the track was sprinkled with rain. However, most of the favorites had already finished their work.
At the 4th km split, Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe) was the fastest, but Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers) was only one second behind him. But he only started at the end of the starting field and at the finish line he lost 18 seconds more, which meant 9th place.
Only two fighters were faster than Primož Roglič in the second part. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-LaB) by two seconds, which moved him from 12th to 5th place, and Mattias Skjlemose (Lidl-Trek) even by six seconds, which earned him third place. Jay Vine (UAE Emirates) secured second place with a stable performance throughout the route.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) made a classic mistake not even after a kilometer in the slow-speed straightaway when he took off a bit earlier than he should have, the front wheel slipped and he fell to the ground. He lost 9 seconds to Roglič at the break, but he also lost the fight with him in the second part, when he lost another two seconds.
“I don’t think I took too many risks, but in ten kilometers you want to go through the corners as fast as possible. If you fall, it’s your own fault. It’s hard to win in a time trial like this if the biggest favorite doesn’t make any mistakes.” said the Belgian at the finish line. “I looked it up on the record: I’m standing still for 13 seconds, and by the time you’re back on pace, you’ve lost 20 seconds. This is the difference between profit and loss. A win would be possible, but that’s easy to say in retrospect. I shouldn’t have fallen if I wanted to win. In general, however, I am very satisfied with the feeling of the performance.”
Not even a hint of disappointment could be read in Jonas Vingegaard’s words: “It was a hard and explosive start to the race, but in the end I can be satisfied with how I drove and how I felt.” said the Dane after the time trial. “This year may look a little less difficult on paper than previous years. But if we’ve learned anything from the last few years, it’s that the end is only after the last day. I expect a tough fight throughout the week,” he added. “I had a good training period after Tirreno-Adriatico. I feel good. The form is good, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Primož Roglič was in a great mood, as usual. He seemed optimistic, all smiles and well-being: “The legs were definitely good. I felt strong along the way.” he stated to the Eurosport camera. “I made a mistake at the finish, but luckily I was able to fix it. It was still enough for the fastest time.’
His good mood can be understood after the loss at Paris-Nice. “Things didn’t go the way I wanted at the time. I worked hard after Paris-Nice to be well prepared and I went for it. It was the easiest ride of the week though. There are still many mountains to come. The last day will be crucial.”
Among the top ten paper candidates, Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0:43 and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +1:15 lost a lot. Thomas Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) fell during the pre-start run of the time trial course and did not even start the race: “I was surprised by the gust of wind. I bumped my hip hard. However, an examination at the hospital did not reveal any fractures. I’m going home and focusing on my recovery.”
Karel Vacek took 143rd place, 1:37 minutes behind the winner.
2024-04-01 23:30:02
#Roglič
