Remco Evenepoel 'obliterated’ Giro d’Italia time trial, will force rivals 'back to the drawing board' - Dan Lloyd

Remco Evenepoel 'obliterated’ his rivals in the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia, according to Dan Lloyd, while Adam Blythe feels the other contenders need to come up with a new plan. Evenepoel threw down the gauntlet in the opening stage, as he blitzed the opening time trial to secure a 43-second lead over big GC rival Primoz Roglic. Ad Lloyd felt Evenepoel delivered times that were comparable to a team time trial, and that the Belgian’s performance could have demoralised his rivals.

Giro d'ItaliaJumbo-Visma’s ‘disastrous’ build-up to Giro could ‘play into their hands’2 HOURS AGO “He obliterated it,” Lloyd said on The Breakaway. “I think you can say he has come into the Giro hot. “The average speed up that last climb to the finish, almost 59 kph, that is the sort of speed you would see in a team time trial and to put that much time into his rivals on day one of the race, everyone else will be going back to the drawing board.

“If he can carry that form through three weeks then no one else has got a chance. That is the question.” Evenepoel and Roglic ‘on another level’ but McEwen warns of Giro upset Exclusive: Voigt says Cavendish must win two stages at Giro to earn spot at Tour de France Robbie McEwen feels Evenepoel’s rivals will be clinging to the hope that the Soudal-Quick Step man may have peaked too early in the race. “It is what his rivals have got to tell themselves that he has come in hot, and when you come in hot there is a chance of being overcooked,” McEwen said.