"Race to the podium has begun" - Michael Boogerd impressed by the first half of Thymen Arensman's 2026 Giro d'Italia

All eyes are on Jonas Vingegaard and Felix Gall at the on-going Giro d'Italia, however at least one rider has been ride a near-perfect race so far in the first block, allowing himself to sit sixth overall - fourth among "main" GC contenders - on the today's rest day. Of course, the talk is about Thymen Arensman, who could be looking to move onto a provisional podium in Tuesday's 40-kilometer time trial - his great discipline.

In past years, we have seen the Netcompany INEOS rider show many faces at a Grand Tour, but consistency has been a rare trait among all of them. But unlike year ago when at the Giro, Arensman was already two minutes off the front before the race had even begun, this team he's right away in the mix. And as the Dutchman rarely gets worse as a Grand Tour progresses, the expectations are sky-high towards the second half of this Giro.

Michael Boogerd watched as Arensman tried to catch up with the leaders Jonas Vingegaard and Felix Gall, but was unable to: "He was struggling. I got a bit of a déjà vu to the stage in last year’s Giro d'Italia that Simon Yates won. Arensman hung back then too," the former rider said on the Kop Over Kop show.

Nevertheless, the Dutchman was impressed by his compatriot's performances: "He rode the final stretch at a tremendous pace in the style we know from him."

With the long time trial in mind, Boogerd is optimistic about the Dutchman's prospect for the remainder of this Giro. After all, we've seen Arensman come second and fifth in his previous time trial appearances this spring: "He isn’t getting any worse. The time trial is tomorrow. I think he will go to bed feeling good."

"He can focus everything on Tuesday, and then it’s onto the tough mountain stages. His race to the podium has begun; it is definitely within reach," he concluded resolutely.