(Reuters) – Remco Evenepoel underlined his credentials as a favourite for the Giro d’Italia as he stormed to victory in Saturday’s stage one, an individual time trial along the Adriatic coast, to take the leader’s maglia rosa jersey.
The 19.6-kilometre 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 Liege-Bastogne-Liege 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 Joao Almeida third a further seven seconds behind.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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