How Gee-West and O'Connor became Giro’s second and third in the time trial: "Back to normal"

Thymen Arensman claimed the top spot in Tuesday’s Giro d’Italia time trial, but Derek Gee-West and Ben O’Connor secured second and third in the general classification. Both team leaders shared their impressions after the stage, visibly satisfied with their performances.

“Tenth? That’s good,” said O’Connor, who ultimately lost 48 seconds to Arensman during the ride, speaking to CyclingPro. At that point, he hadn’t yet accounted for the Dutchman, who later pushed him down to eleventh place. “It was a solid time trial. I felt slightly off during Stage 9, so it was lucky we had a rest day. Back to normal, so I’m happy with this effort.”

O’Connor had recognized the significance of this day well in advance. “Everyone, if you are a GC rider, spends a lot of time on the time trial bike. It’s tough if you have a bad day—you can immediately see the differences compared to the other GC riders. There were bigger gaps than on Blockhaus. That’s why we invest time in it.”

“It went fine, although I faded a bit in the final kilometres. Overall, it was a fairly good time trial,” he added, noting that this stage could have a major impact on the final Giro standings. “For some, especially if gaps of one or two minutes appear, it will be significant.”

Finishing second among the GC contenders, Gee-West was just 22 seconds slower than Arensman. “It was a really tough time trial,” the Canadian admitted afterward. “On the long straight sections, you have too much time to think. You never really know how a time trial will go until you’re about ten minutes in. I knew I felt good, so I’m very, very happy.”

Mentally, this can be “super challenging,” according to Gee-West. Did he enjoy the ride? Certainly. “It was a beautiful parcours—one you don’t see often anymore.” On this scenic course, the Lidl-Trek leader felt strong. “The legs are getting better each day. It’s a great confirmation that they also respond on the time trial bike.”

As for expectations: “I hoped to finish in the top ten for the day’s results. Of course, it also matters where you end up relative to other GC riders, but top ten is very nice,” said Gee-West, who ultimately placed fifth on the stage.

When asked about the role of this time trial in the final Giro rankings after 21 stages, he commented: “It’s hard to say. There are still such tough stages ahead. It’s nice to gain some time in the TT, but you never know with all the massive mountain stages coming.”