Edoardo Affini rounds up top 10 in last Giro d'Italia time trial near his home: "It was very cool to ride on familiar roads"

In the second and at the same time last time trial of this Giro d'Italia, it was Edoardo Affini's chance to show off on roads in his home region. And the Visma | Lease a Bike time trialist certainly didn't disappoint with a time that was just enough to round up the top 10 on Saturday. Affini lost minute and a half to his compatriot and winner on the day, Filippo Ganna.

For the Italian it was a rare chance to ride in front of his home crowds. "It was very cool to ride on familiar roads," Affini said after entering the race. "I saw a lot of friends and family along the way. It feels nice that they made the effort to come and watch the Giro d'Italia. It definitely gave me wings. I enjoyed it, besides the suffering."

Affini's analysis showed that he knew the course well. "You could divide this time trial into two parts. The first part was pretty technical. It was important not to immediately waste all the energy there. The second part was on pure power. There it was possible to put in a lot of power."

Afterwards, Affini was satisfied with his performance. "It was a pretty good time trial. I gave it my all. It is always difficult to go all out after two weeks in a grand tour, but I think I did well. The fatigue must have been there for everyone. Other guys rode very strongly here as well. Of course, the field of competitors is quite strong. I can certainly be satisfied with tenth place," concluded the 27-year-old Italian.