"It was not the most pleasant experience" - Felix Gall slips off Giro d'Italia podium as time trial frailties cost Decathlon leader on Stage 10

Felix Gall left the Giro d’Italia podium places on Stage 10 after a difficult afternoon against the clock, with the Decathlon CMA CGM Team leader losing ground to several direct general classification rivals in the 42km individual time trial from Viareggio to Massa.

The Austrian began the day third overall, 2:59 behind Afonso Eulalio, but slipped to fourth after finishing 32nd on the stage, 4:22 down on dominant winner Filippo Ganna. More importantly for the GC battle, Gall lost 2:28 to Thymen Arensman, who finished second on the stage and jumped from sixth to third overall.

Gall also conceded 1:22 to Jonas Vingegaard, who moved within 27 seconds of the Maglia Rosa, and 1:40 to Ben O’Connor, who climbed to fifth overall. After pushing Vingegaard hardest in the mountains before the time trial, Gall’s weaker day on the flat course underlined the challenge he faces in keeping himself in the podium fight.

Speaking to Cycling Pro Net after the stage, Gall was honest about the discomfort of the effort, but insisted he had emptied himself on a course that was never likely to suit him. “I did what I could,” Gall said after the finish. “I have no regrets.”

That was the main thread of his reaction. Gall did not try to dress up the difficulty of the stage, but he also did not present the result as a collapse. Instead, he framed it as a day where he hit the targets available to him, even if those numbers were not enough to hold off stronger time triallists.

Asked about the comparison with Vingegaard, Gall admitted he had not yet seen the full gaps, but made clear the experience had been demanding. “I don’t know about the gaps, but it was not the most pleasant experience,” he said. “It was such a long time trial, but I did what I could. I think there was not much more I could have done today.”

That final point matters. Gall’s loss was not simply a bad day. It was also a reminder of the difference between his climbing strength and his time trial ceiling. On the steep finishes, he has looked like one of the few riders able to put Vingegaard under pressure. On a long, flat time trial, the equation changed completely.

The second half of the course appeared to bite hard. Gall reached the first checkpoint already 1:27 down on Ganna and 57 seconds slower than Arensman. By the finish, that gap to Arensman had grown to 2:28, enough to push the Dutchman ahead of him in the general classification.

Gall said the effort became particularly difficult once the time trial moved beyond the half-hour mark. “It got super long after 30 minutes, but I tried to hold on and I did my best,” he said.

Asked whether he had ridden at the speed and numbers he wanted, Gall offered a telling answer. The physical output was there, but the time loss still followed. “I looked at the numbers and it was exactly what I wanted to do, yes,” he explained. “But I know nothing about the time. The legs are definitely there.”

That gives Decathlon some encouragement before the race returns to terrain better suited to their leader. Gall has lost his place on the virtual podium, but he has not lost belief in his condition. The problem is that Stage 10 has changed the standings around him, and Arensman now sits between Gall and the top three with a stronger all-round profile.

There was also one equipment detail around Gall’s ride, with the Austrian choosing not to use a full visor. Asked about that decision, he said simply: “I was more comfortable without the visor.”

Comfort may have mattered on a difficult day, but the wider GC conclusion is clear. Gall survived the time trial, but he did not escape its consequences. His Giro remains alive, yet if he wants to return to the podium places, he will now need the mountains to tilt the race back in his favour.