DISCUSSION - Giro d'Italia stage 10 - What happened to Vingegaard? The Dane’s rivals smell blood. Ganna was devastating, Eulálio one of the winners of the day

The 10th stage of the Giro d'Italia delivered exactly what many expected from Filippo Ganna, a crushing display of power against the clock. The Italian rider from Netcompany INEOS lived up to his status as overwhelming favourite in the 42 kilometres individual time trial from Viareggio to Massa, producing a ride that nobody came close to matching along the Tyrrhenian coastline.

While Filippo Ganna celebrated a prestigious stage victory on home roads, the battle for the general classification also began to take a clearer shape. Thymen Arensman emerged as one of the major winners of the day after finishing second, while Jonas Vingegaard endured a more difficult afternoon. The Dane lost valuable seconds and, despite briefly threatening the overall lead, could not dislodge Portuguese revelation Afonso Eulálio from the Maglia Rosa.

After the second rest day of the race, the Giro resumed with one of the longest individual tests of the modern era. The mostly flat route featured intermediate checkpoints after 16.5, 28.5 and 38 kilometres, demanding not only pure power but also careful pacing over nearly an hour of full effort.

Among the early starters, Max Walscheid of Lidl-Trek was the first rider to set a serious benchmark. The German completed the course in 48 minutes and 10 seconds, averaging more than 52 kilometres per hour. His stay in the leader’s chair proved brief, however, as Sjoerd Bax from Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team soon went ten seconds faster.

But the real reference point arrived shortly afterwards.

Ganna exploded through the checkpoints with extraordinary speed, catching multiple riders on the road and quickly making it clear that the fight for the stage win was effectively over. The Italian time trial champion powered around the course at close to 55 kilometres per hour on average, eventually finishing more than two minutes faster than Bax.

Several respected specialists attempted to challenge the benchmark afterwards, including Alec Segaert, Rémi Cavagna and Mikkel Bjerg, yet none managed to get remotely close to the Italian. Cavagna came nearest, but still conceded almost two minutes to the dominant INEOS rider.

Attention then shifted towards the contenders for the overall classification.

INEOS still had another major card to play in the form of Thymen Arensman. The Dutchman, sitting sixth overall before the stage, delivered an exceptional performance throughout the afternoon. Already at the first checkpoint he was second fastest, around thirty seconds behind Ganna but significantly quicker than several GC rivals.

Arensman continued to gain time across the route. By the finish he secured second place on the stage, comfortably ahead of Derek Gee and Ben O’Connor. More importantly, he distanced many of the riders around him in the general classification and firmly inserted himself into the fight for the podium in Rome. Behind him, the differences among the favourites became increasingly significant.

Felix Gall lost heavily during the test, while Jai Hindley also shipped considerable time. Vingegaard, meanwhile, never truly looked comfortable. The leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike finished only 13th on the stage, conceding more than a minute to Thymen Arensman and failing to produce the kind of performance many expected from the two-time Tour de France winner.

That left the focus on Afonso Eulálio.

The Portuguese rider had started the day under pressure, knowing the long time trial represented one of the biggest challenges of his young career. Yet the Bahrain - Victorious rider limited his losses impressively and rode with enough composure to defend the race lead. By the end of the afternoon, the pink jersey remained on Portuguese shoulders.

In a Giro that continues to shift between established stars and emerging names, Stage 10 belonged overwhelmingly to Ganna. But for Eulálio, surviving one of the race’s most dangerous days may ultimately have felt just as valuable as a stage victory.

Carlos Silva, our colleague from CiclismoAtual, shared his opinion on today’s individual time trial, a stage that confirmed the expected dominance of Filippo Ganna.

“Today’s time trial had a predictable outcome from the very beginning: victory for Filippo Ganna of Netcompany INEOS. The Italian was at his very best, imposing a devastating pace over the 42 kilometres and putting almost two minutes into his closest rivals. Ganna delivered a pure display of power in an effort without climbs, perfectly designed for him… and perhaps also designed to tempt Remco Evenepoel, who decided not to include the Giro d'Italia in his calendar.“

“Another winner of the day, despite finishing almost five minutes behind Ganna, was young Afonso Eulálio of Bahrain - Victorious. The Portuguese rider is not a specialist against the clock, and this was the biggest individual challenge of his career. Never before had Eulálio ridden a time trial of this length, so everyone expected him to lose the race lead on Tuesday.“

“But the Pink Jersey gave him that extra motivation which allowed him to produce the time trial of his life. He defended himself against Jonas Vingegaard and, more importantly, against the general classification contenders. What in theory feels like a dream can very quickly become reality when you work hard and truly believe.“

“Thymen Arensman also delivered a very strong time trial, once again proving that INEOS in 2026 are undoubtedly a well-oiled machine when it comes to racing against the clock.“

“I cannot really point to a loser at the end of the day, but there were certainly riders who performed below expectations, especially Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane looked a level below his best. This was not the Vingegaard driven by hunger to win, overwhelming and dominant. He looked like an ordinary rider rather than an alien, the kind of cyclist nobody can beat.“

“Maybe it was the effect of the rest day, maybe it was the sheer length of the effort. I honestly do not know. But his rivals smelled blood, the blood of a wounded animal, of someone who showed weakness, and they may now want to test him further to discover whether he is only slightly wounded… or whether it is something more serious.”

Ruben Silva of CyclingUpToDate believes the time trial may not have changed the overall hierarchy of the Giro d'Italia, but it did reinforce growing concerns surrounding Jonas Vingegaard in flat individual efforts.

“It was a day that promised to be decisive, but in the end it was not quite that. Let’s be realistic, Jonas Vingegaard remains one of the absolute favourites to win the Giro d'Italia after today, and the overall outlook of the race has not dramatically changed. However, what we saw was confirmation of a trend that has been developing over the past few years: Vingegaard simply is not that strong anymore in flat time trials.“

“That should not come as a huge surprise because he is fundamentally a lightweight climber. But what he used to do almost flawlessly a few years ago is now something that several other GC contenders are capable of matching, besides the obvious names like Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, who can always dominate against the clock.“

“Teams like INEOS, with Thymen Arensman producing an expected but brilliant performance, and Lidl-Trek, with Derek Gee showing his best level of the season, have clearly closed the aerodynamic gap. As a result, Visma’s dominance in these efforts is no longer as frequent.“

“I genuinely expected Vingegaard to take at least two and a half minutes on Felix Gall and around four minutes on Afonso Eulálio. The final result was nowhere near that level. To be fair, there were no other major surprises throughout the day, most riders finished more or less where expected.“

“But Vingegaard gaining only 18 seconds on an ill Giulio Pellizzari, taking just 1:22 on Gall and failing to catch Eulálio over 42 kilometres is a poor outcome. A very poor performance. It raises legitimate concerns for the Tour de France because someone like Pogacar could once again take a full minute on him in a time trial, exactly as happened in 2025, if Vingegaard is not back at his very best.“

“Losing time to GC riders like Ben O'Connor and David de la Cruz, with all due respect to them, is not what the Dane would have wanted. He will not sleep peacefully tonight, even if he remains the leading favourite for the overall victory.“

“Meanwhile, Eulálio surviving in the Pink Jersey means Bahrain - Victorious will continue controlling breakaways and managing the race gaps over the coming days, something that will make the race harder for everyone else. Team Visma | Lease a Bike would almost certainly have allowed the breakaways much more freedom.”

Meanwhile, our colleague from RadsportAktuell, Pascal Michiels, reflected on another day of racing in Italy, dominated by the Italian lightning bolt.

“Max Walscheid was the ride that gave this time trial its early heartbeat. He rolled down the ramp, caught riders almost immediately, danced on the edge in the wet corners, and then planted a real marker with 48:10. For a while, the entire stage seemed to orbit around his time.“

“Sixth on the day, only 2:17 behind Filippo Ganna over 42 kilometres, is a performance that deserves more than a footnote. Walscheid is so often boxed in as a lead-out powerhouse, but today he reminded everyone that he is also a serious time trial engine.“

“Felix Gall’s afternoon looked heavy, yes, but it was not a disaster. This was never his world: flat roads, high speed, no place to hide, no climb to rescue him. Yet in the only comparison that really matters for his podium hopes, he lost just 1:22 to Jonas Vingegaard.“

“For Gall, on this course, that is survival with dignity. The time he gave away to Thymen Arensman hurts more, but the Giro is not over for him. In fact, the mountains now feel even more like an invitation. Ganna was untouchable, simply from another planet.“

“Vingegaard was not spectacular, but he still took what he needed. Yet, you'd expect more from him, no? And Eulálio? He suffered, wobbled, fought, and somehow saved pink. That was not just survival. That was character.”

Javier Rampe of CiclismoAlDia also shared his opinion following the individual time trial victory of Filippo Ganna.

“Filippo Ganna broke a record for the history books. The ‘Giant of Verbania’ completed the fastest time trial in cycling history, surpassing the mark that until today belonged to David Millar.“

“What would have happened if Remco Evenepoel had decided to race here? Especially considering the collapse of Jonas Vingegaard, who later complained in the press conference about how flat today’s time trial was. It would not hurt if someone from Team Visma | Lease a Bike reminded their star rider that a Grand Tour contender has always had to deal with flat time trials.“

“Today, however, the real admiration should go towards the courage shown by Afonso Eulálio throughout this race. The Portuguese rider simply refuses to let go of the Pink Jersey, he wants it with every ounce of strength he has. Eulálio is honouring this Grand Tour.“

“From a Spanish perspective, the performances of David de la Cruz and Markel Beloki also stood out. De la Cruz produced a much stronger time trial than usual, while Beloki once again showed that he has the makings of a serious rider. Incidentally, his contract with EF Education-EasyPost expires at the end of the season.”