The Giro d’Italia 2024 is over in the center of Perugia? It’s difficult to think otherwise, after the victory of Tadej Pogačar in the seventh stage, in a time trial in which the pink jersey has dug a very deep furrow towards all the others pretend for the ranking, who had already been distanced on the Oropa climb.
Nothing better than numbers can better measure what the Slovenian managed to do today, especially in the final uphill stretch: Pogačar had moved on to the second intermediate 47 seconds behind Filippo Ganna, who until then was firmly in command. At the finish, the situation is completely reversedand this time there is a 17 second difference, but in favor of the pink jersey, which also allowed itself to take the liberty of rejoice at the finish linewith a gesture of profound technical arrogance, in the most positive sense of the term.
An excellent performance but within the range of its possibilities, as could already be understood well before having the final chronometric reference, but which takes on much more important contours when making a final assessment. By limiting the analysis to the climb, therefore eliminating the time gained in the 34 kilometers on the flat, where his advantage over almost all the men in the ranking was already eloquent, the data are even more lapidary. Pogačar covered the 6.6 kilometers from T2 to the finish line in 12’14”while the second and third in this segment were Daniel Felipe Martínez (12’46”) e Ben O’Connor (12’49”). Cian Uijtdebroeks he lost 59 seconds in this stretch, Geraint Thomas really 1’20”.
For the first six stages of a Giro so far very hard fought in every single stage, there was even room to believe that this domination Pogacarian was not so unassailable, despite the demonstrations already given in Oropa and in the first stage, or at least not immediately. Why the Ineos Grenadiers it is a very solid block, and he reiterated it today in the time trial too, because Thomas is the most experienced in the company and seemed in fact and in intention capable of being a valid opponent, not just the best in the fight for second place (position itself questioned today). It was a great Giro while it lastedand it will certainly still be starting tomorrow Tivo meadows, but with much more granitic certainties. In no exercise is time more tyrannical than in a time trial, and today the Tyrant of this Giro has decided to close the games.
Giro d’Italia 2024, the chronicle of the seventh stage
In the first hour, the various pure specialists who started in the initial phases alternate in command.
Josef Černý (Soudal Quick-Step) gives way to thehot seat to Max Walscheid (Jayco AlUla), in turn beaten by Daan Hoole. The 54.16 of the long distance runner Lidl Trek is improved from 53.56 by Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar), who recovers a good 44″ in the 6.6 kilometers of the final climb towards Perugia. The under 23 specialty world champion arrives precisely in the minutes in which attention shifts to Filippo Gannawhich left at 2.37pm.
The Italian champion passes to the first intermediate with 24″ on the best time Černý, again the reference to Santa Maria degli Angeli, while the advantage over Milesi is already forty-eight seconds. Shortly before Ganna he had also left Mikkel Bjerg, to which UAE Emirates gave the green light to try to achieve the best possible result. The Dane moves to T2 14″ from the reference time of Edoardo Affini, but with a theoretical advantage for the climb. His advantage was 10″ over Milesi, on which he further gains in the last 6.6 kilometers, taking the lead with a time of 53’40”.
Bjerg, however, is destined to remain in the lead for a few minutes, because Ganna arrives at the foot of the Casaglia gap with 1’28” of advantage. The Italian champion goes to catch and overtake several riders who started in front of him, last Luka Mezgec And Thomas Champion into the last kilometre, and stop the clock at 52.01, at an average of 46,831. An unapproachable performance for all the other pure specialists and visually quite convincing, a sensation however not confirmed by Ganna himself immediately after arrival.
GC
The 11″ gained by Ganna over Bjerg in the uphill section become an interesting first reference on how much the Italian champion of the Ineos Grenadiers over the men in the standings in the most challenging final stretch. Other indications come from the passages of a surprising Maximilian Schachmann and of Magnus Sheffield: the German takes 1’06” at T2 and recovers up to 48″ at the finish line, while the young American goes from 49″ to 32″ behind. However, he doesn’t earn any money Thymen Arensmanwho after two promising intermediates stopped in third place at 52.43.
There is one of the best uphill climbers Antonio Tiberiwho recovers to reach 1’04” from Ganna, awaiting the comparison with the other climbers who will have to make up for the time lost in Oropa. However, attention inevitably goes to the start of the pink jersey, which begins its test at 16:24 Pogačar, Thomas and the other top-ranking men start in much more unfavorable wind conditions than in the first part, as confirmed by the reference from the first intermediate: the Slovenian pays 44″ from Gannathe Welshman 52″. Pogačar builds his performance in crescendo, and his gap at the second checkpoint is almost unchanged: 47 seconds, 40″ ahead of Thomas.
A very negative signal for G, who definitively breaks down on the climb towards Perugia, where he pays the price not only from Dani Martinezthe best on the climb up to that point together with Ben O’Connor, but also by Ganna himself, from whom he lost another sixteen seconds at the finish line. Behind him instead comes, and it would be an understatement to say with another step, a fury in a pink jersey. Tadej Pogačar also takes away the stage victory with a final climb out of reach for anyone else. The Slovenian stops the clock a 51.44with an average of 47.088, and achieved his second stage victory, even more thunderous than the previous one.
Pogačar now has a 2’36” lead Martínez and 2’46” on Thomas in the general classification, with O’Connor and Luke Plapp to complete the top five. Tiberi gains thirteen positions and is eighth ahead of Filippo Zana And Lorenzo Fortunato, while Arensman goes up fifteen and is eleventh. He clearly changes the face of the ranking, which will be reshuffled again tomorrow in Prati di Tivo.
