Roglic knew better than anyone how the race could turn on a decisive final time-trial having seen the Tour de France slip through his fingers to Tadej Pogacar in similar circumstances. On this day though, absolutely nothing would stop the then
Jumbo-Visma leader from adding a fourth Grand Tour to his impressive palmares.
A lightning fast bike change compared to a rather lethargic swap for Thomas started the ball rolling. Once on the final climb though, disaster struck for Roglic as the worst timed mechanicals in history brought him to a standstill in the steep slopes. Incredibly though, a former ski-jumping teammate of Roglic's was at the side of the road at the very point the chain slip occurred and his fast thinking helped the Slovenian get back up and going.
After crossing the line miles in front of anyone who had gone previously all Roglic and
Jumbo-Visma could do was wait. Would Thomas be able to claw back the deficit in the final run-in? Had the chain slip proved crucial? The answers would be no and no.
Roglic took the stage win by 40 seconds ahead of the Welshman, giving him the Maglia Rosa by just 14 seconds overall.
Watch all the drama and emotion of one of the most thrilling time-trials of all time down below!