Stage 10 of the Corsa Rosa will see the riders tackle this edition's first test against the clock, one that will take them between Foligno and Montefalco, over 39.8 kilometers.
First third of the course which many are predicting to shake up again the general classification is fairly flat, but afterwards the road becomes undulating and goes up to Madonna delle Grazie, which features 5% gradients. A fast descent follows before the second and final climb of the day, leading to Montefalco, a small town in Umbria, which will make its debut at the Giro d'Italia.
The individual time trial will give riders the chance of rebounding after last Sunday's excruciating climb to Blockhaus, where many suffered and conceded time. Among them was also Bob Jungels, who dropped from the top 10 overall after a five-day spell in the maglia rosa. Despite this setback, the 24-year-old rider of Quick-Step Floors – who made a recon of the course during the rest day – remains undeterred ahead of the second half of the race.
"Yesterday I had a bad day, but I recovered, I feel good and I'm confident for tomorrow. Compared to what I've seen in March, straight after Tirreno-Adriatico, the course is different now, with a longer and less steeper climb that should suit me better. There aren't technical sectors, which will make for a pretty fast TT, except the final five kilometers, where there will be a headwind", said Bob Jungels, a three-time Luxembourg ITT Champion, after Monday's training.
"I think we can be proud of what we have achieved so far: two stage victories, six days in the pink jersey, another six in the white jersey and the maglia ciclamino", said the Luxembourger when asked about Quick-Step Floors' run at the Giro d'Italia. "The atmosphere in the team is great, and we are looking forward to the next challenges the race will bring, because we are sure we can still have one or two more words to say here."
Tomorrow's individual time trial will be the 142nd in the history of the Giro d'Italia. The longest one was recorded at the 1951 edition, when Fausto Coppi needed two hours to cover the 81 kilometers between Perugia and Terni.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
