Race of truth open to interpretation but Vingegaard remains in control at Giro

Thymen Arensman freewheeled through the finish area in Massa with a group of reporters jogging along behind him until he rolled to a halt near an Ineos team van. The Dutchman had just scorched to second place on stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia behind his teammate Filippo Ganna, and he would move up to third overall by day’s end. 

That performance made him one of the stories of the day, and we duly knotted around him when he came to a stop. In the manner of José Mourhinho, however, it appeared that Arensman preferred not to speak. An Ineos press officer emerged to open a pathway for him to escape the microphones and cameras, and Arensman pedalled away without so much as a word.

That would earn him a gentle admonishment from Tom Dumoulin on Eurosport’s Dutch-language coverage later on Tuesday. “He doesn’t have to talk to the media every day, but it is still somewhat a rider’s duty to make himself heard, including to his fans,” said Dumoulin, who was one of the peloton’s most articulate speakers in his time.

Not everyone is blessed with Dumoulin’s loquaciousness, of course, and perhaps Arensman felt his performance in the so-called race of truth had already said everything that needed to be said about his day.

But in reality, the results of this time trial still left plenty open to interpretation. The merits of Jonas Vingegaard’s performance, above all, are all in the eye of the beholder. When Remco Evenepoel opted against riding this Giro and when João Almeida was ruled out, this 42km test looked like a clear opportunity for Vingegaard to put the race beyond the reach of all of his rivals.

It didn’t pan out that way in Tuscany on Tuesday, with Vingegaard coming home in a distant 13th place, fully three minutes down on Ganna and over a minute behind Arensman. He also failed to put hugely significant time into the ill Red Bull duo of Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley, who limited their losses on Vingegaard to 18 and 31 seconds, respectively.

And yet it was hardly a disaster for Vingegaard, who at least managed to extend his buffer on dangerman Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) to almost two minutes. He remains, by a distance, the best placed of the GC contenders, lying 27 seconds off Afonso Eulálio’s pink jersey and 1:30 clear of Arensman.

Vingegaard summed up the duality of his time trial when he reached the mixed zone after donning the blue jersey of best climber on the podium. “It was terrible,” Vingegaard smiled as he expressed his dislike for long, flat time trials. It brought to mind how Marco Pantani used to joke about bringing along some comic books to keep himself entertained on days like this.

On the other hand, Vingegaard declared himself satisfied to have moved a little closer to pink and to have picked up some more time on many – though certainly not all – of his rivals for final overall victory. “I think I’m in a good spot at the moment,” Vingegaard insisted.

And on paper, he still is. Vingegaard came through the first week of this Giro exactly as he had hoped. He picked up two stage wins and claimed a commanding position in the overall standings without seeming to expend a kilojoule of energy more than was necessary ahead of his tilt at the Tour de France in July.

The expectation – or the fear, in some quarters – was that Vingegaard would divest the Giro of all suspense in this time trial, much like his old rival Tadej Pogacar did in the stage 7 time trial to Perugia two years ago.

Instead, Vingegaard’s subdued but far from ruinous display here has left the door ajar. Gall’s weakness in the time trial is noted, but he limited the damage on Vingegaard to just 1:22 here. After shipping significant time at the Blockhaus and Corno alle Scale, and after spending the rest day still stricken by illness, Pellizzari will view his defiant showing here as something close to a victory. 

Ben O’Connor (Jayco-AlUla) produced a solid time trial, as did Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek). And after a disappointing outing on the Blockhaus, Arensman will surely hope this time trial marks the true beginning of his challenge.

Vingegaard’s performance here will also inevitably raise questions about his readiness to beat Pogacar, Paul Seixas et al at the Tour, but it is a touch premature to project forward to July just yet. After all, it’s not entirely clear exactly how much weight Vingegaard has given to time trialling in his preparation for his Giro-Tour double tilt.

But in the here and now at the Giro, Vingegaard’s display was of a piece with his race so far. Two years ago, Pogacar looked like a man eager to conquer his opponents rather than simply to win the Giro. Vingegaard, by contrast, seems content to do what is necessary to wear pink in Rome, but just as keen to do so without running up a tab he might have to settle in July.

The watts/kg at the Blockhaus and Corno alle Scale had already suggested that this was not (yet) a vintage Vingegaard, and that impression was borne out on the road to Massa on Tuesday. But there is still nothing to suggest it won’t be enough for Vingegaard to complete a full set of Grand Tour victories beneath the Colosseum on May 31.