In Pisa on Tuesday, the weather went Groupama-FDJ’s way on the 28.6-kilometer time trial that kicked off the second week of the Giro. Clément Davy, Lorenzo Germani, Enzo Paleni, and Sven Erik Bystrom all set solid times, while David Gaudu limited his losses compared to the other GC contenders. The Frenchman still sits in twenty-sixth place, seven minutes behind the pink jersey, Isaac del Toro.
Forty-eight hours after Siena’s Piazza del Campo, the Giro settled in another famous setting on Tuesday, right after the second rest day. The finish line of the time trial, which served as the tenth stage, was indeed located at the foot of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, after a mostly flat and fast 28.6-kilometre course from Lucca. Clément Davy, expected at 1:29 p.m. on the starting ramp, was one of the first riders to set off. The Frenchman joined the finish in second place provisionally, in 34’21, then Sven Erik Bystrøm (34’40), Enzo Paleni (34’28) and Lorenzo Germani (34’24) set relatively similar times in the following hour and a half, while Dan Hoole achieved the day’s winning time, in 32 minutes and 30 seconds. “The boys tackled this time trial in a very professional and focused way, but without any pressure,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “When the legs are there, it’s definitely fun to push. Our time trial bikes are also such great machines, and you can’t always be conservative. Anyway, it shows that the group is in good condition, and we have to rely on that to seize opportunities when they come.”
“We gladly accept this touch of luck”, Stéphane Goubert
The last rider from the team to set off, at exactly 3:45 p.m., David Gaudu also set a very decent time of 35’02, after narrowly avoiding the upcoming downpours. “The goal was to go all out,” said the Breton after his effort. “I said I’d lose between two and three minutes. In the end, I finished 2’32 behind the winner, which I think is reasonable. I’m not yet 100% physically given what happened, but I still felt like I was a bit better compared to the last few days. On such a long and fast time trial, where you need to push the big gear, I think it’s not too bad and it’s promising for what’s to come. In any case, I gave it my all right to the finish line, and I had to do it flat for the rest of the Giro”. “It’s a good time trial if we think back to the previous stages,” Stéphane confirmed. “The weather was on our side, but we had our share of bad luck too, so we gladly accept this touch of luck today. Apart from that, David did a good time trial. We can see that his form is there, and we know it’s going to improve. There are still some great things to do. When he’s at his best, we’ll look for opportunities and take everything we can take.”After a very wet time trial’s conclusion, David Gaudu eventually held onto his twenty-sixth place overall and is now 7’06 behind the Mexican pink jersey, Isaac del Toro. On Wednesday, the peloton will tackle the eleventh stage of the Giro, featuring nearly 4,000 metres of elevation gain. “We’re expecting a hard start and we’ll have to keep an eye on the weather,” concluded Stéphane. “We’ll also have to pay attention to the strategy that UAE Team Emirates’ rivals will use, as that could influence the race. Nevertheless, our goal will be to be present in the breakaway to get the best possible result.”
