Giro d'Italia, in Roglic penultimate stage and pink jersey

Geraint Thomas gave everything, but in the end he had to give up. In the time trial of almost 19 kilometers that practically concluded the 2023 Giro, he had to surrender to the superiority of Primoz Roglic and gave him the pink jersey. The Slovenian had won Olympic gold in Tokyo in the time trial, favored by the fact that, just like today, the track included large uphill stretches, so he made the victory in the twentieth and penultimate stage of this Giro his own and, at 99%, also the one in the general classification. Tomorrow the new leader, today followed by a large number of fans from Slovenia, will catwalk in Rome in the scenario of the Imperial Forums and after six laps in the center of the capital, meanwhile he let himself go to a liberating cry that highlighted his emotions. On the finish line of this fraction Roglic preceded Thomas, second at 40", and having until yesterday 26" of delay from the Welshman is now in pink with just 14" on his rival. A narrow margin, but it will be enough for him to win the Giro. Third place of the day and similar position in the general classification for Joao Almeida, who was not enough the declared support of José Mourinho to subvert the hierarchies. He will have to settle for getting on the third step of the podium, the one dreamed of by Damiano Caruso, excellent fourth on Monte Lussari but still behind the Portuguese, from whom he took another 13". The Sicilian will therefore remain fourth also as a final placement, and the only Italian in the top ten. After him there is the national champion Filippo Zana who, to date, is 18th at 33'22" from Roglic. The only Italian to excel is the quartet Olympian Jonathan Milan, who wears the cyclamen jersey of the points classification. Certainly today was a good stage, enriched by the fact that Roglic won by completing a cycling masterpiece and overcoming a mechanical problem that forced him to stop shortly after having 'shattered' the second intermediate. In practice, it was a chain jump that made him lose about twenty seconds, after which he resumed rolling pedaling, demonstrating how right it had been to have considered, on the eve of the start of this 'pink race', the great favorite together with that Remco Evenepoel then forced to leave prematurely for Covid. "It's an incredible feeling," said an emotional Roglic after today's victory. I dropped the chain, I immediately put it back in place. I could have lost everything, but it's part of racing. The audience gave me a few extra watts and I enjoyed the atmosphere and energy of the event. There is one day left until the end. Tomorrow's path is technical. It's not over until it's over, but we're close to a wonderful ending."