106. The race through Italy will reach its peak today in the immediate vicinity of the Italian-Slovenian border. It will be the mountain time trial from Trbiž to Sveti Višarij (18.6 km). This will give the answer to who will be the winner of the Giro: maybe it will be Primož Roglič?
Roglič before the penultimate stage – on Sunday it’s the parade in Rome – behind the Briton Geraint Thomas he is 26 seconds behind in the overall. The Portuguese is in third place João Almeida, who could join the fight for the overall victory as the third in the crisis of the best. He is 59 seconds behind.
Roglič will start at 17.11The time trial on Višare will be hellish. After about 11 km of flat route from Trbiž, this indicates the final climb. This will begin with a five-kilometer section with an average gradient of as much as 15.3 percent, and the cyclists will have to overcome a total of 889 meters in height in just 7.3 km. The first cyclist in the first group will set off from the starting ramp in Trbiž at 11:30 am. All the best will start in the third group, Almeida will start at 17:08, Roglič at 17:11, and Thomas will be the last three minutes later. There will be a 96 minute difference between each group of riders.
The organizers expect a huge number of (mainly Slovenian) fans, about 15 thousand. The gondola will bring only 3,000 lucky people who won tickets a few days ago to the top in two intervals (between 8:30 and 9:30 and between 11:30 and 12:30). The rest of the fans will have to reach the top on foot along the marked paths. Ticket holders will be able to go to the valley by gondola only one hour after the end of the stage.
Unraveling of the decisive stage at 18:30The organizers emphasize that the roads in Trbiž will be closed early due to the quick start of the test. Competitors will start in several groups or waves. The first will start from the center of Trbiž at around 11:30, while the best, including Primož Roglič, will start at 17:50. All riders will be at the finish line around 6:30 p.m. A special parking lot will also be organized for ticket holders, but there will be enough for other fans in the vicinity of Trbiž. Parking lots (a total of 12,000 parking spaces will be available) will be free. Slovenians are recommended to take the bus that will run from Rateč, Planica and Kranjska Gora.
Roglič believes in a turnaroundThe final time trials of the three-week races have already decided the overall winner several times. Last but not least, it was Roglič who lost the yellow jersey of the leader in the Tour of France in 2020, when his compatriot Tadej Pogačar beat him in a head-to-head match. Also at the 2020 Giro, the final time trial decided the winner after Great Britain’s Tao Geoghegan Hart edged out Australia’s Jai Hindley after they were level before the final power trial.
These are just two stories that show that in the last hour of truth anything is possible. Roglič also hopes for this, who took three seconds off Thomas in the 19th stage from Longarone to Tre Cima di Lavareda. “Sure, I believe in a turnaround too,” 33-year-old Roglič told Slovenian media after the stage on Friday.
Source: Rtvslo
