Plenty for analysts to discuss: Hoole’s win, his transfer ("confirmed"), Roglic’s resurgence & what's next for UAE?

Of course, Daan Hoole’s win was the first topic on the table across multiple podcasts. “This is the result of years of dedication to a discipline where you sometimes get knocked down,” said Dutch analyst Thijs Zonneveld on In de Waaier. “He’s ridden World Championships where he finished somewhere in the middle. But you have to keep hoping for that one day.”

“He’s become an incredibly valuable rider to have in your team. He can slot in anywhere. Filling gaps in spring races, cobbled classics, grand tours, lead-outs, even climbing support. He’s extremely versatile. And you can draft off him like a dream, he’s so tall!”

The former continental rider also mentioned that Hoole is set to move to Decathlon-AG2R. “That deal is pretty much done. I’ve had it confirmed from multiple sources. In a sprint train, he’s worth two or three riders.”

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Besides Hoole’s stage win, what really stood out to the analysts was Roglic’s time trial. The Slovenian had crashed during recon, but made up for it with a strong ride against the clock. In fact, the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team leader gained time on many of his rivals.

When asked which GC rider came out of the time trial best, Johan Bruyneel didn’t hesitate on The Move podcast: “Primoz Roglic! Without a doubt! I also think he’s regained his confidence. A time trial always tells the truth. I think Roglic truly believes he can win the Giro.”

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“Look who’s back!” said Zonneveld in response to Roglic’s ride. “He’s breathing down their necks again. He’s already passed McNulty and Yates, and the gap to Del Toro isn’t much, especially considering the stages still to come.”

But Bruyneel pointed out a potential weakness for Roglic’s team. “During the early stages, five of their riders were involved in that big crash. Hindley, Martinez, and Tratnik among them. We haven’t really seen them in this Giro. They’re dealing with a lot of injuries.”

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While Hoole and Roglic had relatively favorable conditions, that wasn’t the case for UAE Emirates–XRG riders Juan Ayuso and Isaac Del Toro. Both had to race in the rain on slick roads. “Ayuso was actually faster than Roglic, but in worse conditions,” Zonneveld explained, addressing the Spaniard’s slower time compared to Roglic.

Bruyneel, looking ahead to the coming days, still sees Del Toro in pink and Ayuso close behind. “Ayuso’s interviews are solid and professional. He keeps saying ‘we’re here as a team and we want to win’ and ‘of course I want to win too.’ You can hear in his voice that he just wants to win. That’s normal. He’s a leader and a champion. But he also says that if he doesn’t win, he wants to see a teammate win.”

Bruyneel thinks Ayuso is in an ideal position. Without the added pressure of daily press duties after the stage. “This isn’t a bad situation for Ayuso to be in. He can sit back a bit, stay on the second line, and just see what happens.”

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Eurosport analyst Alberto Contador is mainly looking ahead. “I think Adam Yates now clearly sees how solid Juan Ayuso is, which means he’ll likely take on a different role moving forward. UAE has four riders in the top seven. Adam might be the one they send up the road in a breakaway. They can put Yates up there, which would force Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe to chase.”

Fellow analyst Samuel Sanchez agrees with Contador. “Ayuso looks strong in terms of recovery. But to build on what Alberto said: I think the pressure is now on the other teams, not UAE. UAE can choose to race either defensively or offensively.”