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Wednesday, May 21, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...' - Isaac Asimov
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 1: 1909 - 1970 is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
Upcoming racing:
- May 29 - June 1: Tour of Norway
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
Latest completed racing:
- May 14 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- May 18: Rund um Köln
- May 13: Classique Dunkerque
- May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
- May 10: GP du Morbihan
- May 9: Tour du Finistère
- April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
- April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
- May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
- April 27: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- April 24 - 27: Vuelta Asturias
- April 21 - 25: Tour of the Alps
- April 23: La Flèche Wallonne
- April 20: Amstel Gold Race
- April 20: Tour du Doubs
- April 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
- April 18: De Brabantse Pijl
We posted the report from stage winner Daan Hoole's Team Lidl-Trek with the results.
Here's the report from GC leader Isaac del Toro's UAE Team Emirates:
Isaac del Toro has successfully defended the Maglia Rosa at the Giro d’Italia, maintaining his lead in the overall classification following stage 10, a 28.6km individual time trial from Lucca to Pisa.
The Mexican sensation, who seized the race lead after a commanding performance in stage 9, showcased his consistency and resilience against the clock, finishing well under wet conditions. His performance was sufficient to retain the overall lead, despite a strong challenge from his rivals. Remarkably, the 21-year-old is the youngest rider to lead the Giro d’Italia this century, and he will spend another day in pink on Wednesday.
Isaac del Toro will ride stage eleven in pink. Sirotti photo
His UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Juan Ayuso put in a solid performance, cementing his second place at 25″ from Del Toro, presenting a favourable situation for the Emirati outfit as they seek out the overall victory. Jay Vine took sixth on the day despite a bike change, finishing +37″ behind stage winner Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek), underscoring his time trial pedigree.
Del Toro: “I knew it would be super hard but I tried to finish another day in pink, and it was super good. I knew I had a lot of time on my side and I didn’t want to take risks, but then I was struggling to go straight on the bike. But it was fun and I am super happy.
“I was a little bit scared in every corner, [but] wow, it is amazing for the team to realise that everybody is up there, and we will play [our cards] for sure.”
Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek) clinched victory in the time trial, narrowly edging out Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) for the stage win. The pair benefitted from dry conditions, with heavy rainfall strongly affecting the battle between the GC contenders later on in the day.
As the race progresses through its second week, UAE Team Emirates-XRG currently hold four riders inside the top 7 in the overall standings, with both Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates producing solid displays on Tuesday afternoon. Their teammate, Filippo Baroncini, meanwhile, rode well to finish 13th on the day.
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Here's the Giro report from stage 10 second-place Josh Tarling's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Josh Tarling claimed his second Giro d’Italia podium, securing second place in the individual time trial on stage 10.
Setting off for the 28km stage, Tarling fired round the first part of the course, 21 seconds up on hot seat and eventual winner Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek).
The wind picked up in the second half of his race, and Tarling continued to battle to the finish, crossing the line in Pisa just seven seconds behind Hoole - enough to secure second place on the stage.
Josh Tarling time-trialing in 2025 Giro stage two. Sirotti photo
Later on in the race, the rain began to fall, worsening the conditions for much of the team. Thymen Arensman finished in 21st place, and moved up three GC places to go into tomorrow’s stage 10th overall. Unfortunately, Egan Bernal crashed in the first four kilometres, but battled back to stay competitive on the GC, currently sitting in 11th place.
Egan Bernal:
"I crashed at the beginning of the stage, so it's only normal that I lost some time. The course was tricky, with some slippery roads because of the rain. I still am on an adrenaline high, so I am yet to feel the crash to its whole extent. So far, the time loss has been the worst consequence of it. The Giro is a race you always have to take day by day, and we will keep doing that."
Third-place Ethan Hayter's Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:
Ethan Hayter finished a remarkable third on stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia, which kicked off the second week of racing. A 28.6km individual time trial between Lucca and Pisa, the day ended up having a big impact on the general classification, in part due to the rain that completely changed the final hour.
Pisa, the hometown of Galileo Galilei, returned as a finish at the Corsa Rosa after 45 years, at the previous appearance hosting also an ITT won by Jørgen Valdemar Marcussen, who delivered a huge surprise by beating the great Bernard Hinault. Now, the victory went to Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek), but among the riders to impress on this course featuring some tricky corners was also Soudal Quick-Step’s 26-year-old Brit, who scored his first top three in a Grand Tour stage despite being among the early starters.
Ethan Hayter at the start of the 2023 Hamburg Cyclassics. Sirotti photo
Back-to-back national champion in this discipline, Hayter rode a superb race, going fastest through both checkpoints before setting the best provisional time at the finish, just a couple of hundreds of meters from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, where he stopped the clock in 32:40 thanks to an average speed of 52.5km/h.
“Leaving Lucca, the roads were still a bit damp following this morning’s rain. There were a few corners where I could have gone faster and the wind was also a factor today, but overall, it was a good time trial from my side. I was hoping to get a nice result, but didn’t think I would be on the podium. It’s my first top three in a Grand Tour, and the fact that it came in a time trial makes me happy. It’s a result that gives me a lot of confidence for the next stages”, said Ethan, who was joined in the top ten by Soudal Quick-Step teammate Mattia Cattaneo, who finished the stage in fourth place.
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Edoardo Affini's Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Giro report:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike concluded stage ten of the Giro d’Italia on a positive note. In the second individual time trial of the race, Edoardo Affini secured fifth place. Simon Yates also delivered a solid performance in the rain, moving up from sixth to fourth in the general classification.
Affini was one of the early starters in Lucca, benefitting from dry weather conditions. Upon finishing—in the shadow of the Leaning Tower of Pisa—he quickly realized that recognized time trial specialists like Joshua Tarling and eventual winner Daan Hoole had set faster times.
2025 Giro d'Italia stage two: Edoardo Affini starts his time trial. Sirotti photo
“I’m quite satisfied with my time trial”, the Italian said afterwards. “It was a fast course, and I think I rode a good race. There were simply a few guys stronger today. Credit where credit’s due.”
By the time the GC contenders took to the course, the weather had deteriorated significantly. Simon Yates started his time trial in pouring rain but still managed to produce a strong effort against the clock, overtaking Giulio Ciccone and Richard Carapaz in GC.
Yates was pleased with his performance. “This was definitely a good day. After switching to this team, it took a bit of time to get used to the new time trial setup, which I’m actually very happy with. That period of adjustment is paying off now. I think I can still improve, but considering the conditions, we can only say it was a good day. It’s great to be up to fourth now. I want to stay focused and hopefully play a role in the mountains during the final week. There’s still a lot to come in this Giro, but so far, everything is going according to plan”, Yates said.
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Here's the Giro stage ten report from Xabier Mikel Azparren's Team Q36.5:
Xabier Mikel Azparren has delivered a fantastic performance in today’s time trial in the Giro d’Italia. The Basque rider finished in tenth place, 54 seconds down on stage winner Daan Hoole. Azparren reached an average speed of 51,3 kilometers an hour between Lucca and Pisa. It’s the first World Tour top ten for the 26-year-old rider
Xabier Mikel, a former Spanish junior and U23 time trial champion said:
“The preparation for this race started many months ago. This time trial was always a big objective for me and the team. My main objective was to win and that is what we trained for. At this level everything needs to be perfect and today we had some minor issues. I think a top five was really possible if everything went perfect.
I am very happy with the legs I had today. They were great and that gives me a lot of confidence for the next days. I hope to win a stage and be there for Tom and Matteo as much as possible.”
The Giro d’Italia continues on Wednesday with a mountain stage between Viareggio and Castelnovo ne’ Monti. It is 186 kilometers with almost 4,000 meters of elevation. Stage 10 has three categorized climbs of which the last one is just five kilometers from the line.
And here's the Giro stage ten report from Team Groupama-FDJ:
In Pisa on Tuesday, the weather went Groupama-FDJ’s way on the 28.6-kilometer time trial that kicked off the second week of the Giro. Clément Davy, Lorenzo Germani, Enzo Paleni, and Sven Erik Bystrom all set solid times, while David Gaudu limited his losses compared to the other GC contenders. The Frenchman still sits in twenty-sixth place, seven minutes behind the pink jersey, Isaac del Toro.
Sven Erik Brystrom at the 2024 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo
Forty-eight hours after Siena’s Piazza del Campo, the Giro settled in another famous setting on Tuesday, right after the second rest day. The finish line of the time trial, which served as the tenth stage, was indeed located at the foot of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, after a mostly flat and fast 28.6-kilometre course from Lucca. Clément Davy, expected at 1:29 p.m. on the starting ramp, was one of the first riders to set off.
The Frenchman joined the finish in second place provisionally, in 34’21, then Sven Erik Bystrøm (34’40), Enzo Paleni (34’28) and Lorenzo Germani (34’24) set relatively similar times in the following hour and a half, while Dan Hoole achieved the day’s winning time, in 32 minutes and 30 seconds. “The boys tackled this time trial in a very professional and focused way, but without any pressure,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “When the legs are there, it’s definitely fun to push. Our time trial bikes are also such great machines, and you can’t always be conservative. Anyway, it shows that the group is in good condition, and we have to rely on that to seize opportunities when they come.”
The last rider from the team to set off, at exactly 3:45 p.m., David Gaudu also set a very decent time of 35’02, after narrowly avoiding the upcoming downpours. “The goal was to go all out,” said the Breton after his effort. “I said I’d lose between two and three minutes. In the end, I finished 2’32 behind the winner, which I think is reasonable. I’m not yet 100% physically given what happened, but I still felt like I was a bit better compared to the last few days. On such a long and fast time trial, where you need to push the big gear, I think it’s not too bad and it’s promising for what’s to come. In any case, I gave it my all right to the finish line, and I had to do it flat for the rest of the Giro”.
“It’s a good time trial if we think back to the previous stages,” Stéphane confirmed. “The weather was on our side, but we had our share of bad luck too, so we gladly accept this touch of luck today. Apart from that, David did a good time trial. We can see that his form is there, and we know it’s going to improve. There are still some great things to do. When he’s at his best, we’ll look for opportunities and take everything we can take.
”After a very wet time trial’s conclusion, David Gaudu eventually held onto his twenty-sixth place overall and is now 7’06 behind the Mexican pink jersey, Isaac del Toro. On Wednesday, the peloton will tackle the eleventh stage of the Giro, featuring nearly 4,000 metres of elevation gain. “We’re expecting a hard start and we’ll have to keep an eye on the weather,” concluded Stéphane. “We’ll also have to pay attention to the strategy that UAE Team Emirates’ rivals will use, as that could influence the race. Nevertheless, our goal will be to be present in the breakaway to get the best possible result.”
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