The riders completed a 13.7-kilometer individual time trial through the streets of the Albanian capital, Tirana. The course was mostly flat, with a short climb halfway through. However, the many technical corners made it particularly challenging.  

Affini set one of the first top times. The 28-year-old Italian rider of Team Visma | Lease a Bike - who claimed the European title in the discipline at the end of last season - delivered a strong time trial. After spending a long time in the hot seat, he ultimately had to settle for fourth place.  

“It was special to race in my champion’s jersey,” Affini reflected. “I’m satisfied with my race. I’ve only done one time trial this season so far - the team time trial in Paris-Nice. It’s great to be able to perform like this right away. It was definitely not an easy course. The repeated short efforts after each sharp turn made it really tough.”  

All Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders completed their time trials without incident. GC leader Simon Yates delivered a solid time. The 32-year-old Brit limited his losses and rose to 13th place in the general classification. After his second place yesterday, Wout van Aert still had hopes of claiming the pink jersey, but the Giro debutant couldn’t compete for the stage win today.  

“I gave it my all, but that top feeling just wasn’t there,” Van Aert said afterward. “I felt early on that I didn’t have the power to accelerate out of the corners, which was a crucial part of the race today. Of course, there’s a bit of disappointment. I had hoped to fight for the win and the pink jersey today, but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.”