Alberto Contador on the key stage 9 time-trial at the Giro d'Italia: "It is not technical, it is pure for specialists"
Cycling
On stage 9 of the Giro d'Italia, it is a completely flat time trial between Savignano sul Rubicone and Cesena of 35 kilometres. Alberto Contador, double winner of the Maglia Rosa and current analyst for Eurosport, has the following opinion about the stage:
"New battle for the men in the general classification, we will see how they have assimilated the first 8 days of the race. We are talking about a time trial that will take place on fairly wide roads, except for some towns, but not at all technical, it is 100% pure percent for specialists, we are going to see how the runners have assimilated the efforts."
Thus, taking into account that one of the great specialists, Filippo Ganna, is out due to Covid, Remco Evenepoel is, with the exception of Stefan Kung, the great favourite to win. But keep an eye out for Primoz Roglic and Geraint Thomas, two very strong riders who are also extremely capable on this type of individual time-trial stage.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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