Arensman, O'Connor, Gee-West on Giro d'Italia Time Trial

The decisive role of the 42km time trial at the Giro d'Italia 2026 drew reflections from Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos), Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek), and Ben O'Connor (Jayco-AlUla), who noted that the time gaps from this stage were even larger than those seen at the notorious Blockhaus. Ben O'Connor, who placed 11th in the time trial, remarked on the significance of the time trial bike for those competing in the general classification (GC), stating, "If you're on GC, it's your job to spend time on the TT bike... it kind of kills you when you have a bad ride."

Filippo Ganna (Netcompany Ineos) secured a notable victory during the 42km event, which featured a flat fast course stretching from Viareggio to Massa. Despite Ganna’s victory, the time trial revealed shifting positions among the GC contenders. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), while regaining time during the trial, remained behind race leader Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious). Vingegaard now trails by just 27 seconds but lost ground to his rivals, including O'Connor, who emphasized that the time gaps from the time trial eclipsed those from the Blockhaus climb.

O'Connor expressed satisfaction with his performance, moving up to fifth place overall, and reflected on his comfort with longer time trials. He stated, "It suits me, so I'm not complaining. It reminds me of all the time trials I grew up doing back home in ATTA (Australian Time Trial Association)."

Thymen Arensman finished behind Ganna, helping secure a 1-2 finish for Netcompany Ineos. Arensman made a three-position gain to arrive at third in the overall standings, and he highlighted pacing and listening to his body as keys to his success: "I wanted to go as fast as possible from A to B... it makes me happy."

Derek Gee-West also enjoyed substantial improvement, finishing fifth, and climbing six places to eighth in the overall ranking, now 3:34 behind Euláio. After his performance, he shared his sentiments, stating, "I'm super happy with it. It was a super hard TT... my legs have been getting better with every stage, so that is a good confirmation." The atmosphere among the competing cyclists underscored the importance of this stage in the ongoing battle for the maglia rosa.