Time trials are a brutal test of a rider's leg muscles, aerobic fitness and sheer cussedness of heart, and Australia's leading trio were not found wanting in the Giro d'Italia's tenth stage.
Any chance of an Aussie time trial stage win in this year's tour disappeared when Jay Vine, then Luke Plapp, left the race last week with injuries.
For Jai Hindley, Ben O'Connor and Michael Storer, who began Tuesday fourth, eighth and tenth respectively in the general classification, it was a case of hanging in there.
At the end of the flat, 42-km route along the Tuscan coast from Viareggio to Massa all three were in the top seven, albeit with some shift in positions.
O'Connor (Jayco-AlUla) is up to fifth, Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) slipped to sixth and Storer (Tudor Pro) climbed to seventh.
