Giro d'Italia, super time trial by Ganna. Vingegaard does not shine, Eulalio stays in pink

What passed by? A missile? A mysterious rocket? An unidentified flying object? Don't worry, that man on the bike who is speeding faster than a jet has a name and surname: his name is Filippo Ganna, he is 29 years old, comes from Verbania and when he pedals against the clock he is faster than Superman and Flash Gordon put together. He practises another sport, that of the hands: first there is him, then ordinary mortals with wind-up watches.

This time Top Ganna, in the tenth stage of the Giro, the 42-kilometre Viareggio-Massa time trial, made another one of his own: not only did he win at a stratospheric average of almost 55 km per hour, thus taking his eighth career victory in the Giro, but he also tore the competition to shreds, and did so with very heavy gaps, gaps that are not very frequent in this super-globalised cycling where, in the end, with hyper-modern technologies and materials, differences tend to be levelled out.

To explain himself better, Ganna knocked three minutes off Jonas Vingegaad, the big favourite of the Giro d'Italia. It's true that the Dane, who came 13th, was a huge disappointment, arriving distraught and dishevelled at the finish line, but three minutes is a big blow. And in fact Vingegaard, despite expectations, was unable to take the pink jersey from Portuguese Afonso Eulalio, a curious revelation of this Giro. Although time trials are not his bread and butter, the Portuguese rider managed to limit the damage by finishing 41st, almost five minutes behind Ganna.

A lot compared to SuperPippo, but not so much compared to Vingegard on whom, before the time trial, he had 2 minutes 24". In the end, he only had 27 seconds left of that gap, which allowed him to retain the pink jersey. A minimal advantage, admittedly, but enough to still leave behind the Fisher King, who for once is licking his wounds. Naturally, the debate about Vingegaard's lacklustre performance immediately opened up. Some say, among the apocalyptics, that it is not a good sign, that the time trial does not lie, especially in view of a week in the mountains. The more pragmatic ones, on the other hand, think that the Dane, having to cross paths with Pogacar at the Tour, came to the Giro to train and then get to the top at the Grande Boucle.

More likely, in our opinion, that this is the correct reading. Bearing in mind then that, form or no form, Vingegaard is still second in the standings, half a minute behind Eulalio, but well placed compared to what should be his rivals. Pellizzari, while not collapsing, is now ninth at 3 minutes and 36 seconds. Austrian Felix Gall, usually always glued to the Dane, is also now fourth at 2'24".