"Look at last year’s Tour, Vingegaard lost around 90 seconds to Remco Evenepoel" - Robbie McEwen plays down Giro d'Italia time trial concern

Jonas Vingegaard’s Stage 10 time trial at the Giro d’Italia has sparked debate, but Robbie McEwen does not see it as proof that the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader is in trouble.

Vingegaard went into the 42km test from Viareggio to Massa widely expected to take the Maglia Rosa from Afonso Eulalio. Instead, the Dane finished 13th on the stage, three minutes behind dominant winner Filippo Ganna, and cut Eulalio’s overall lead to 27 seconds without actually taking pink.

For some, that made Stage 10 an underwhelming day for the Giro favourite. For McEwen, the result needs more context.

Speaking on TNT Sports’ The Breakaway, the Australian pointed back to last year’s Tour de France as evidence that Vingegaard struggling to match the biggest engines on a flat time trial course is not a new phenomenon.

“It’s been a pattern in these flat time trials,” McEwen said. “You look at last year’s Tour, Vingegaard was also 13th - just like today. On that occasion, he lost around a minute and a half to Remco Evenepoel.”

That comparison matters because Vingegaard’s Giro ride looked more disappointing against pre-stage expectation than against his recent record in similar conditions. The Dane has built his reputation on climbing, recovery and Grand Tour consistency rather than pure flat power.

Stage 10 was almost tailor-made for riders with bigger engines. Ganna crushed the field to win in 45:53, while Thymen Arensman finished second and surged onto the GC podium. Derek Gee-West and Ben O’Connor also produced strong rides on a day where sustained power mattered more than climbing efficiency.

McEwen was clear that Ganna belongs in a different category on terrain like this. “You’ve got to leave Filippo Ganna out of it,” he said. “He’s just other-worldly, he’s an alien.”

The bigger question was how Vingegaard compared with the other GC riders. He still gained 1:57 on Eulalio, 1:22 on Felix Gall and 31 seconds on Jai Hindley, but he lost 1:06 to Arensman and time to O’Connor and Gee-West.

McEwen admitted that part was more surprising, especially because Vingegaard looked smooth on the bike rather than obviously struggling. “But to the other GC contenders, those around him, we expected Jonas to be the leader out of those guys, and he looked good,” McEwen said. “Often, riders look like they’re struggling if they’re struggling, but he looked good.”

His explanation was not that Vingegaard is suddenly weak, but that this type of course exposes a very specific limitation. “I think just that the really flat course is no longer his thing,” McEwen added. “He’s such a lightweight, light-built, more of a pure climber than anything now. The pure grunt isn’t there for him.”

That line gives the Stage 10 result a different meaning. Vingegaard did not produce the Maglia Rosa takeover many expected, but the route may have amplified the strengths of riders built more for raw power than mountain efficiency.

Matt Stephens was more cautious in his assessment. He felt the ride was below what had been expected from Vingegaard, while also giving credit to Eulalio for limiting his losses and keeping pink.

“We expected him to put time into Eulalio,” Stephens said. “I think it’s a combination of two things. Let’s be really honest. For whatever reason - and hopefully we’ll get to the bottom of it when we hear from him - it was a sub-par ride from Jonas. But by the same token, an exceptional ride from Eulalio.”

Stephens also raised the possibility that Vingegaard may not have arrived at the Giro at his absolute peak, particularly with the Tour de France still to come later in the summer. “Are we seeing a slightly undercooked Jonas Vingegaard coming into this race?” he asked.

That question does not only come from the time trial. Vingegaard has already won both summit finishes in this Giro, but the gaps on those days were not as large as some expected from a rider of his standing.

“Did we expect him to put more than 12, 13, 14 seconds into Felix Gall in the last two mountaintop climbs?” Stephens continued. “Should that have suggested that maybe he isn’t quite 100% because of what is happening in the summer with the Tour de France? These are all things, but still an unexpected ride from Jonas.”

Stage 10 leaves two truths sitting side by side. Vingegaard did not deliver the statement ride many expected, and he missed the chance to take pink from Eulalio. Yet he also moved to within 27 seconds of the Giro lead with the harder mountain stages still to come.

McEwen’s argument is therefore important. If the concern is that Vingegaard was beaten on a flat, power-based time trial by bigger riders and pure specialists, that may say more about the course than the Giro as a whole.

The real test now comes when the race returns to the mountains. If Vingegaard starts losing his edge there, the questions will grow louder. For now, Stage 10 has made the Giro more interesting, but it has not changed the basic fact that the road ahead still looks far more suited to him than the road to Massa ever did.