Evenepoel lays down Giro d’Italia marker with emphatic win on stage one

Remco Evenepoel underlined his credentials as a favourite for the Giro d’Italia as he stormed to victory in stage one, an individual time trial along the Adriatic coast, to take the leader’s maglia rosa jersey.

The 19.6km route from Fossacesia Marina to Ortona is the longest opening individual time trial at the Giro yet, with most of the route flat until the last few kilometres which involves a climb through the urban region of Ortona.

Evenepoel has been in fine form this season, with the Soudal Quick-Step rider claiming back-to-back wins in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège one-day race last month and he was 21 seconds faster than anyone at the halfway mark.

The Belgian finished with a time of 21 minutes and 18 seconds, a full 22 seconds ahead of Italian Filippo Ganna with João Almeida third a further seven seconds behind.

“I’m super happy, I think it’s the best result we can get on the first day. We went fast enough today,” Evenepoel said. “I felt from the start I had a good rhythm, always the same gear, same cadence. I’m just super happy with what I could do,.” He added that he was not focused on how his rival Primoz Roglic was getting on.

Roglic, one of the favourites to challenge Evenepoel, was only sixth-fastest for Jumbo-Visma, 43 seconds behind. After the lead changed hands several times early on, the Ineos Grenadiers rider Tao Geoghegan Hart became the first rider to finish inside 22 minutes with a time of 21 minutes and 58 seconds. His teammate Geraint Thomas, a former Tour de France winner, was 15 seconds slower.

Hart’s lead did not last long, however, as the UAE Team Emirates rider Almeida was a man on a mission, catching up with two riders near the finish to go 11 seconds faster.

But his joy was shortlived and he