Hello and welcome to our live blog for stage seven of the Giro d'Italia. Today marks the first of two time trials at the race, a 40.6km slog between Foligno and Perugia, with a steep kicker towards the end.
It's a stage that promises to force some time gaps on the general classification. And with a stacked field of time trial hitters, like former world champions Filippo Ganna and Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers), there's sure to be some fast racing.
I'll be providing live updates all day. If you want to get in touch, you can reach out to me on X – @t_davidson.
Let's start by taking a closer look at today's course.
At 40.6km in total, the first 32km are flat towards Perugia. The road then kicks up at Casaglia, a 1.3km climb with an average gradient of almost 12%, and an opening ramp at 16%. From there, it's all uphill to the line.
The total elevation of the course is 400m.
The first rider down the ramp will be Julius van den Berg (dsm-firmenich PostNL), the last placed rider on GC, at 12:10 BST.
Here are some other key start times to look out for (all UK time):
Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers) - 12:41
Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) - 13:37
Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) - 14:10
Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) - 14:29
Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL) - 14:37
Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) - 14:42
Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) - 14:54
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) - 15:15
Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) - 15:18
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) - 15:21
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) - 15:24
For a full list, check out this article written by our friends at Cyclingnews.
There's just under an hour and a half until proceedings get underway in Foligno.
Aero expert Dr Xavier Disley has put together a long thread of his thoughts ahead of the stage. He's expecting the stronger riders to average "well over" 50km/h for the first, flat part of the course, with a finish time just over 50 minutes.
With strong crosswinds expected, Disley adds that "holding a strong aero position will be key" – drag can be affected by up to 5% with a bad position.
It's the @giroditalia Stage 7 time trial tomorrow!40.6km in length and featuring an uphill finish as has become customary in grand tours of recent years, read on for my thoughts on what to expect on the day 👇#GirodItalia 🧵 1/12May 9, 2024
One of the other key things Disley touches on is bike changes.
"The first part of the climb is really steep, hitting 16% so a bike change and a healthy push might be welcome," the aero expert writes.
Who remembers the bike change drama from last year's race? Geraint Thomas swapped both his bike and helmet at the foot of Monte Lussari on stage 20.
Check out the flared visor on Geraint Thomas's KASK TT helmet. The Welshman had a similar design at the Vuelta a España last year, but this one, presumably, is new; it's stamped with "05/2024", the current month.
According to Cyclingspy on Instagram, the design is a sort of fairing, that "increase[s] the blockage between the rider's arms even more".
It's not the tidiest look, but, if it helps smooth the air flow and makes Thomas faster, aesthetics are redundant.
⏱️ Recon vibes at the #Giro ahead of the TT this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/kjRwfRRC5uMay 10, 2024
Thomas isn't the only one with custom kit today. We spotted prototype Enve TT extensions on Tadej Pogačar's set-up.
According to the brand's director of marketing, Neil Shirley, they are supposed to "allow greater adjustability" and "reduce weight compared to leading brands on the market".
Read the full article on our website now.
While we're talking tech, Bahrain Victorious and Rudy Project have officially launched their new Wingdream helmet today.
It came out around the same time as the Visma-Lease a Bike Giro Aerhoead 2.0 helmet, which, with its giant front-end, stole the headlines at the time.
The Wingdream is the result of 3D studies, prototypes and wind tunnel testing. Expect to see it today on the head of Antonio Tiberi, Bahrain Victorious's leader at the Giro d'Italia.
For those opting for a bike change today, here's where they'll do it. There's a special zone, 30m in length, just before a sharp left-hand bend where the road ramps up.
According to Eurosport journalist Louis-Pierre Frileux, Esteban Chaves and Alexey Lutsenko both went through on their recons without changing.
⏱️ La zone pour changer de vélo est longue de 30m. Immédiatement après, il y a un virage gauche et ça grimpe. E. Chaves, A. Lutsenko sont passés sans changer de vélo ! #GirodItalia #LesRP pic.twitter.com/pVHuQRnAnjMay 10, 2024
Ten minutes until the stage begins, so it's time for me to lay my cards on the table. I think Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) will take the victory today – he's fast on the flat, in tremendous form, and is a very punchy climber.
If you want to kill some time between now and the first rider down the ramp, here are 21 things you probably didn't know about Pogačar.
STAGE SEVEN BEGINS
Julius van den Berg (dsm-firmenich PostNL) is the first of 165 riders to take to the course.
They'll start at one-minute intervals, until we get into the final 15 riders, who will set off three minutes apart.
The DJ at the start ramp is playing some serious techno music. The riders seem non-plussed by it.
Josef Cerny (Soudal-Quick Step) is now out on the course, and should tag the riders in front of him.
I've just had word from KASK regarding Geraint Thomas's helmet visor. It's called the Aero Pro Visor 2.0, and was launched last year.
If you fancy one, you can pick one up for £129.99 on the brand's website.
We've currently got 14 riders out on the course, all heading towards the first timing point just before the 20km mark. We'll have an idea of how fast they're going when they get there.
Keep an eye out for Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) today, who has been honing his time trial position in recent months.
"With Luke, individually, he has spent himself a lot of hours in the wind tunnel before coming here," Jayco AlUla sports director Marco Pinotti told Eurosport. "We just tried to start from there and optimise his position on the new equipment that we have.
"We've tried different things. It's an ongoing process for him. Today's an important day."
Plapp's down the ramp at 14:42.
Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) is the latest rider to start. He's bandaged up all along the ride side of his body following a nasty crash earlier in the race.
Having started fourth, Josef Cerny (Soudal-Quick Step) is the fastest at the intermediate time check. Ryan Mullen (Bora-Hansgrohe) trails 36 seconds behind.
We've had a spill. Tobias Lund Andresen (dsm-firmenich PostNL) crashes on a sweeping right-hand bend immediately after the start. He's back up and on his bike, and looks fine to finish.
Former world champion Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers), one of the day's favourites, rolls down the start ramp. The Norwegian crashed a few days ago, so it's uncertain whether he'll attack this course.
Cerny's average speed to the first time check was 51.547km/h.
Ryan Mullen (Bora-Hangrohe), second down the ramp, is the first to hit the steep climb near the end of the course. The double-figure gradient has taken the sting out of the average speed. The riders are grinding up it.
Eduardo Affini is looking good out on the course.
Meanwhile his teammate has crashed. Visma have been so unlucky of late!
🇮🇹 #GirodItaliaTim crashed during his ITT. Luckily he can continue his ride with another bike.May 10, 2024
Mullen is approaching the finish now. He's over the line with a time of 55:52
Here comes Cerny. He's beaten Mullen by a minute so is now officially the first leader of the day.
Cerny says it was pretty windy out on the course. The flat part had a "cross tailwind" according to the Czech rider.
He says he feels the course is more suited towards Pogacar with the climb at the end.
Jonathan Millan, a stage winner this week, is out on the course now in the maglia ciclamino as the best sprinter.
Filippo Ganna is on his bike warming up ready for his shot at the race. Is he going to do something big this afternoon? Let us know on X if you think Ganna can take the stage win.
As it stands Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) is the current stage leader out on the road. He's just going past the 6km to go mark.
The climb at the end looks brutal! A real test for the riders at the end of a time trial.
Apparently this is the longest Giro time trial for nine years
Dan Lloyd of GCN says he's not expecting to see any bike changes from some of the favourites today. The reason being its only really the first portion of the climb that's particularly steep.
Mikkel Bjerg will be starting soon for UAE Team Emirates. Apparently he's been given the green light to really go for it for UAE today with an Olympics spot on the Danish team at stake this summer.
Bjerg has just gone down the start ramp. Let's see what happens with him. He's a decent time triallist so could be right up there later this afternoon.
Lidl-Trek's Daan Hoole is about to hit the finish line. He's 33 seconds quicker than temporary stage leader Max Walscheid.
Perugia looks beautiful in the afternoon sun. Affini is heading up towards the finish.
Affini has just missed the race lead. He's finished 10 seconds off Hoole's time of 54:16 so it's straight back to the team bus for the Italian.
Foss has just crossed the line for Ineos grenadiers. He's 2:22 down from Daan Hoole. Not the best of rides for the Norwegian.
Ganna is off now for Ineos.
Lorenzo Milesi has just taken 20 seconds off Hoole's lead. The Movistar man is our new stage leader.
Actually looks like someone caught Ganna on the arm as he started. The Italian appeared to shake his head with frustration as he got going and now we can see this is why.
Keep well back from the riders everyone.
#GirodItalia 💗 / 🇮🇹 Filippo Ganna (IGD), favori du jour, a été gêné par une spectatrice. Aucune conséquence heureusement. #LesRP pic.twitter.com/ynffErgQmuMay 10, 2024
You can see the Ganna incident in a bit more detail here courtesy of @annamacB on X.
🤦🏼♀️Look at the riders not the cameras, and don’t lean over the barriers, especially if you aren’t looking! #Giro #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/c4TLSaZeAEMay 10, 2024
Here goes Jan Tratnik for Visma-Lease a Bike on the start ramp. The Slovenian won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this year.
Filippo Ganna clocks the new fastest time at the first intermediate check. The Italian champion averaged 52.518km/h, almost a whole km/h faster than Cerny.
There are 56 riders still to start. Here's a reminder of some of the key names still to come, and their times, all in BST.
Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) - 14:10
Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) - 14:29
Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL) - 14:37
Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) - 14:42
Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) - 14:54
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) - 15:15
Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) - 15:18
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) - 15:21
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) - 15:24
After all the drama regarding Tadej Pogačar's skinsuit – the UCI threatening to disqualify him for wearing the wrong colour – the race leader has found a solution for today's time trial.
He has vowed to race naked.
💗 @TamauPogi You're on.#GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/X5QFL1881IMay 10, 2024
Ganna is flying. At the foot of the climb, he has just caught the rider who started five minutes before him.
Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) takes the hot seat with 53-40. He won't be there long though, with Ganna in pursuit.
3.8km to go for Ganna, who's currently hitting over 50km/h on an uphill drag.
Ganna has just caught three more riders. I think that makes it eight in total.
It's a new best time, unsurprisingly, for Filippo Ganna.
The Italian clocks just over 52 minutes, here's how the top three currently looks:
- Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) - 52-01
- Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 53-40
- Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar) - 53-56
Ganna's average speed throughout the course was 46.831km/h, 1.4km/h faster than Bjerg.
Can anyone topple the Italian? He leads by one minute and 39 seconds.
Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla), not to be confused with our stage leader, Filippo Ganna, is now out on the course. After this, the riders will start leaving at three-minute intervals. Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) is next.
Things are looking very good for Ineos Grenadiers. Magnus Sheffield clocks the second fastest time at the second time check, 49 seconds down on Ganna.
Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) is the latest to roll down the ramp. There's a bit of an Australian takeover going on, with Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) just ahead on the road.
We're now into our final ten riders. Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost), 10th on GC, begins his time trial.
Max Schachmann takes a provisional second place over the line. The Bora-Hansgrohe rider comes home 48 seconds down on Ganna. A very solid effort.
Schachmann's provisional second place lasts all of a few minutes. Magnus Sheffield thunders in 32 seconds down on Ganna.
With two of the stage favourites, Geraint Thomas and Tadej Pogačar, still to come, beating the Italian's time is suddenly looking more achievable.
For those of you keeping score, Pogačar has gone for maroon shorts today.
He's the last to start, at 15:24 – in 12 minutes' time.
🇸🇮 @TamauPogi checking the tweets of the #GirodItalia account (we think. we're not sure. He could be sending a late Bereal too) pic.twitter.com/ArJcgKjiUXMay 10, 2024
Cian Uijtdebroeks, fourth on GC, rolls down the ramp. He's wearing the new Giro helmet, you know, the one that looks like a Star Wars character. Fun fact: A rider is yet to win a time trial wearing it. Could today be the day?
Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) sets off to the sound of mounting techno. Just Geraint Thomas and Tadej Pogačar to come.
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) has begun his time trial. He trails Pogačar by 46 seconds on the GC. Can he claw some of that back?
A strong ride from Thymen Arensman sees the Dutchman take a provisional third place at the finish line. Thats 1-2-3 for Ineos Grenadiers as things stand.
Here's Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), the last rider down the ramp.
In 50 minutes or so, we will have a winner. The stage is set for a fierce battle.
Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) crosses the line just over a minute down on Ganna. The Italian started the day in 21st, and will break into the top 20.
Pogačar is "off to a rocket start", according to Eurosport's Jens Voigt, who is following the Slovenian on a motorbike.
The last two riders out on the course, Thomas and Pogačar have the windiest conditions. Crosswinds, to be exact, which aren't ideal for a disc wheel.
Sixth place provisionally for Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla). Not bad for a rider who spent yesterday in the breakaway.
Despite the murmurs before the stage, no rider has opted for a bike change so far.
Geraint Thomas comes through the first of two time checks 52 seconds down on his team-mate, Ganna. He's the 12th fastest through the marker.
Pogačar is eight seconds faster than Thomas at the first time check. The difference between the two is marginal, as the wind picks up on the course.
If things continue like this, Pogačar will extend his 46-second lead at the top of the overall standings.
There's probably only around 20 minutes to go in this time trial. Filippo Ganna still leads with a time of 52-01, the next closest rider is Magnus Sheffield, 32 seconds down. There's still a handful to come home, though.
Thomas and Pogačar are approaching the foot of the decisive final climb.
Thomas comes through the second time check 1-27 down on Ganna. That makes him the ninth fastest provisionally.
Juanpe López (Lidl-Trek), who started the day seventh in GC, has just shipped four minutes across the line. That's his gap to Ganna, remember, so he won't lose as much in the overall standings.
Pogačar is flying now. He comes through the second time check, at the base of the climb, in third place provisionally, 40 seconds faster than Thomas.
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) crosses the line in 17th provisionally. Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) will take the white jersey off his shoulders after today.
"Piano," slow down, says Filippo Ganna, as he watched Pogačar tackle the final 2km. The Slovenian could pip the Ineos Grenadiers rider's time at the line.
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) crosses the line 1-43 down. He's going to slip to third in the GC, behind Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe).
TADEJ POGAČAR WINS THE TIME TRIAL
The pink-jersey-wearer takes 17 seconds off Ganna's time over the line. He finished with 51-44 and significantly extends his Giro d'Italia lead.
We'll have a full report of the stage on our website soon.
Here's the full report from Tadej Pogačar's victory on stage seven. Tomorrow, it's another mountains test, with a summit finish on the category-one Prati di Tivo.
Join me again on stage eight for more live updates from the race.
