BARCELONA, 4 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish cyclist Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) is the first leader of the 59th Tirreno-Adriatico by winning the initial time trial, starting and finishing in Lido di Camaiore on a 10 kilometer route, with 1 second of margin over the Italian Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers).
The surprise came in Lido di Camaiore when the Spanish Ayuso beat Filippo Gana by just 1 second, the great favorite to win this time trial and wear the first ‘azzurra’ of the Tirreno. But, with a time of 11:24 and a pace of 52.632 kilometers per hour on average, the Spaniard was better.
A great way to start this Tirreno-Adriatico in which it debuts and which has been marked on its calendar. Furthermore, both Ayuso and Ganna gained considerable time over the rest of the cyclists, so the head-to-head between the Spaniard and the double time trial world champion was one that marks an era and is remembered.
“This race is one of the biggest tests of a week and to start like this, the first time I am here, and win the time trial is something great, it is something you dream of and it has come true,” said Ayuso, in statements to the organization, which confirmed that Tirreno is its goal and that it went to Andalusia to prepare for this race.
Third was the also Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), 12 seconds behind Ayuso, and completing the ‘Top 5’ of this fast and short initial time trial were the British Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) and the Czech Josef Cerny (Soudal -Quick Step), at 13 and 14 seconds respectively.
With a new huge and surprising aerodynamic helmet, like a hammerhead shark, the best of Team Visma | Lease a Bike was the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, ninth, 22 seconds behind Juan Ayuso. The Dane, current double champion of the Tour de France, did not walk like in the initial time trial of O Gran Camiño (a test whose overall victory he won) and was more competitive, still in his first days of competition.
Among the men who can seek the general classification, Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA-hansgrohe) was seventeenth at 27 seconds, Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) was 22nd at 30 seconds while the second best Spaniard was Enric Mas, leader of Movistar Team, although he finished 38 seconds behind Ayuso, in 43rd position.