Tadej Pogačar Dominates Giro Stage with Victory in 40.6km TT: Athlete Reactions and Results

“I’ve been preparing for this day since last year,” said Tadej Pogačar (Slovakia, Emirates Team UAE), who won the seventh stage of the Giro. Here are comments from athletes who finished the 40.6km TT individually, including Prapp, who won Maria Bianca, and Tómas, who fell to 3rd place overall.
Category winner & Maria Rosa Tadej Pogačar (Slovakia, Emirates Team UAE)

Tadej Pogačar (Slovakia, Emirates Team UAE) entered the first half of the course at medium speed. photo: RCS Sport
This was my first race on a TT bike since last year’s Time Trial World Championship. Although there have been ups and downs, they have spent a lot of time preparing for this day since last year. That’s why I was so happy to be able to arrive today in a good position. I went at an easy pace for the first half of the course to get used to the TT bike, and went full throttle for the hills.

-Did you know that you climbed the last climb more than a minute faster than Ganna (who was in the interim lead)?

No, I didn’t know. I only heard the time difference between the two intermediate measurement points. First of all, I couldn’t hear the words on the radio very well (lol). The final climb had a form that suited me better than Pippo (Ganna), so I concentrated on my run. It was very steep. But next time (Level 14 on a flat course) I’m sure the result will be very different.

Tadej Pogačar (Slovakia, Emirates Team UAE) significantly extended his overall lead photo: RCS Sport
In the overall race, at the first measurement point, we received information that his time was faster than Thomas (who was in 2nd place overall). This motivated me to push harder, and I gave it my all on the last climb. Thanks to that, today was a beautiful day for me.

3rd place in category Magnus Sheffield (United States, Ineos Grenadiers)

Magnus Sheffield (USA, Ineos Grenadiers) awaits the result of the Ganna clash photo: RCS Sport
This was the longest and hardest time trial I have ever done. It was also windy. Despite this, the team as a whole was able to perform well, and this is likely to give the team confidence. My goal is to compete with the best time trial athletes in the world. Although I could not win, I realized that I was on the right path.

7th in category & 5th overall & Maria Bianca Luke Prapp (Australia, Jayco AlUla)

Luke Plapp (Australia, Jayco AlUla) improves his overall ranking with 7th place on the stage photo: RCS Sport
I am happy to have Maria Bianca. Tomorrow it will be a great mix with Australian Champion bib shorts. Right after Paris-Nice, I tested the dirt road from the previous day and today’s course. I’m glad it gave a good result.

10th Division & 3rd Overall: Geraint Thomas (England, Ineos Grenadiers)

Geraint Thomas (Great Britain, Ineos Grenadiers) dropped to 10th in the division and 3rd overall as his time did not improve. photo: RCS Sport
I tried to run my own way, but after I started running, I felt like, “It’s not bad, but something is missing.”It can’t be helped.

11th in section & 4th overall Ben O’Connor (Australia, Decathlon AG2R La Mondial)

Although I lost about 30 seconds due to the chain coming off halfway through the race, I was able to run in good time. I felt that the direction of the wind had changed since I took the test. I don’t know how that affected my time.

Kian Eidebrooks (Belgium, Wisma-Lies-A-Bike) lost to Maria Bianca in 20th place in the division.

Kian Eidebrooks (Belgium, Wisma Liesabijk) photo: CorVos
I was able to show improvement in TT compared to last year. It was the most difficult TT so far, but as a team we were able to run at a good pace while sticking to our policy of not going too far. I don’t care (about losing Maria Bianca). Prapp is a strong competitor, but he will have many rivals in the upcoming mountain stages.

text: Sotaro.Arakawa
photo: CorVos