Antonio Tiberi also suffered, though he still performed better than the UAE rider. He lost 33 seconds to the stage winner and now sits 30 seconds behind Evenepoel in the battle for the yellow jersey.
Ilan Van Wilder and Derek Gee were likewise faster than Del Toro and now trail Evenepoel by 35 and 34 seconds respectively.
Ruben Silva (CyclingUpToDate)
Pretty decent time trial, the gaps were bigger than I expected. Maybe 20 seconds between Evenepoel and Del Toro is what I saw coming but instead we had a perfect Evenepoel and a poor Del Toro who also lost some seconds to other rivals.
Not the best indicator of form in a longer effort, however going uphill is going to be a different battle. Good surprise from Cavagna in third, first time in a long while he showed his best TT legs, the rest was around where you’d expect.
Whilst not decisive, due to Jebel Mobrah’s presence, the 32-second gap Evenepoel has over Del Toro does allow him to race more conservatively whilst so far, there aren’t reasons to worry about others – this can change though.
If he gets out of tomorrow’s stage without losing any meaningful time to anyone then it will be near impossible to take the overall win from him.
Carlos Silva (CiclismoAtual)
The ITT put everyone in their place. Remco Evenepoel stamped his authority and showed that while some specialists can get close to his times, no one can beat him in the time trial. Isaac del Toro proved that even in a short individual effort he cannot keep Remco under control. Joshua Tarling delivered a superb time trial, setting the second-fastest time of the day.
And what about the resurgence of Rémi Cavagna? The Frenchman looked back to his very best, rediscovering the aura he once had when he was a marked man. Could we see this version of Cavagna throughout the season? If so, he will certainly bring plenty of joy to his team, and he fully deserves it after such a long spell in the wilderness.
Returning to the outcome of the race, tomorrow brings an important stage, and with the time gained today, Evenepoel may be able to change his approach and race more defensively. Yes, I say that because I don’t see anyone else in this race capable of challenging him for the overall victory. The move now belongs to UAE and Del Toro.
And you? What did you think of today’s stage? Leave us your comment and join the discussion.
Remco Evenepoel