43 seconds. An insignificant margin of time if we take into account all the battle that is to come, but forceful in terms of the sensations shown. It is the reading left by the first duel, from a distance, between Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel after the opening time trial of the Giro d’Italia. The Belgian signed an extraterrestrial performance, while the Slovenian, although he was not bad, was not super.
“My legs felt good, I’m happy with that,” Roglic told the media, just after crossing the finish line, drenched in sweat after an effort that was short but intense, harder than the runners themselves expected, as they reported. . Roglic did not lose his smile at any time and, despite the time ceded to his greatest rival, he sent a message of optimism that went directly to the heart of Quick-Step: “I rode as hard as I could and I am optimistic after this day. There are still twenty stages to go”. The psychological battle has also begun.
Besides, Primoz, who quickly left to roll with the team vehicles, downplayed the result of the stage, unperturbed: “Of course you want to finish ahead of your competitors. However, this is an excellent result. I’m not even three minutes late. Evenepoel was faster today. In the end, it comes down to who is on top after 21 days and today I don’t think he could have gone faster.” A spectacular Giro is coming.