Gall hopeful ahead of the crucial time trial, Eulalio is under no illusions: 'It's not going to be enough'

Felix Gall continues to make an impression at the Giro d'Italia. The Austrian climber at Decathlon CMA CGM attacked on the final climb of stage nine and was beaten only by Jonas Vingegaard. That fact made Gall all the prouder. Pink jersey holder Afonso Eulalio was also more than satisfied after the stage.

Gall had already been the closest rider to Vingegaard on Blockhaus in stage seven. A few days later, he confirmed that performance — and this time he even dared to attack himself. Being beaten regardless is only a minor blemish. "I'm really happy that I can show this kind of level again. I only lose to Jonas," a proud Gall said after the stage.

Gall and his Decathlon teammates had targeted the stage win from the outset — which was clear in the opening phase when they repeatedly neutralised attacks, including those from Giulio Ciccone, much to the Italian's frustration. "The team did a fantastic job again, all day long," Gall said.

Gall's eventual attack was somewhat improvised. "I hadn't actually planned to attack myself — but the steep section turned out to be a bit longer than it looked on paper. I wanted to make sure the finale would be really hard for everyone. So I tried. It worked, and it's fine that I only lost to Jonas."

While Gall is a powerhouse on the climbs, Tuesday's time trial is his acknowledged weakness — and at over forty kilometres, he could take a significant blow in the general classification. "That was in the back of my mind today too. I wanted to build a gap for the time trial, which is obviously not my strongest point. Though I have worked hard on it. I expect to lose time on my rivals — I just hope it won't be too much."

Race leader Eulalio rode an impressive fifth on the stage, limiting his losses to Vingegaard to just 41 seconds. In the general classification he now defends a lead of 2 minutes 24 seconds over the Dane. The question is whether that will be sufficient heading into the long time trial — Eulalio's TT credentials are modest at best.

Eulalio is savouring every day in pink and surprised himself again on Sunday — but about actually keeping the jersey, he harbours few illusions. "Jonas is Jonas — there is not much you can do against him," he said. "I paced myself behind him. In the final section I went all in. The fact that I finish fifth today is incredible."

In his flash interview, he elaborated on his performance. "Maybe the pink jersey has made me a better rider. All my teammates and the entire staff believe in me — that gives me more strength. Usually I have to work for a team leader, but now it's my turn. The jersey is incredible."

"The last fifty kilometres was one prolonged effort," he said of the finale. "I wanted to manage my energy carefully. I stayed out of the wind, didn't always ride at the front, and didn't get involved in the positioning battles. I just tried to save as much as possible. The final three kilometres were just super steep and then it was a case of giving everything."

The next challenge for Eulalio is Tuesday's long time trial — where he must defend a 2 minutes 24 seconds lead over Vingegaard, who is himself an exceptional time triallist. Eulalio can already sense what's coming. "It's not going to be enough, I think," he concluded — with a smile.