Thymen Arensman explains why he could put over a minute into Jonas Vingegaard in the time trial

Thymen Arensman is continuing to grow as a GC contender in the Giro d’Italia and, after ten days of racing, is showing even better form than he did the day before. The 26‑year‑old Dutchman finished second behind the near‑unstoppable Filippo Ganna in the 42 km time trial and moved up to third place overall, even putting more than a minute into Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike).

After years of sometimes struggling to deliver in the first week of a Grand Tour, Arensman responded with an emphatic performance following a stronger opening week in this Giro, and many were keen to see whether he could convert that position into further progress, as he has done in previous seasons in the second and third weeks.

The short answer was yes. Even though teammate Ganna took the stage win and beat Arensman by nearly two minutes, Arensman significantly distanced all his GC rivals apart from Ganna. Among riders targeting the overall standings, only Derek Gee‑West (Lidl‑Trek) kept the gap to a relatively modest 22 seconds to Arensman, while Vingegaard lost 1:06, Giulio Pellizzari 1:24, and Felix Gall 2:28.

At this point, Arensman sits exactly 1 minute 30 seconds behind Vingegaard in the GC, having already overtaken the rest of the field — and crucially, his strongest weeks still lie ahead in this three‑week race. On Instagram, Arensman expressed his delight: “Really happy with today’s performance — the result of great preparation with the team and super good legs. Being two minutes slower than Filippo has never felt this good.”

"Champagne tonight," wrote Arensman, who did not speak to the media immediately after the time trial. However, later in the evening, a more detailed reaction came through Netcompany INEOS’ official channels. “It was quite tough and really long, but I think I paced it well, listening carefully to how I felt and how my legs were.”

Arensman said he did what he needed to do and what he has been doing in time trials for some time. “I wanted to get from A to B as fast as possible, following my routines on a time trial day. Sticking to that gets the most out of my body. That worked. We can be happy with the day, my performance, and the team’s 1-2. It’s nice to celebrate with a little champagne.”

He also praised Ganna’s performance, calling it “an incredible time trial. I finish second by almost two minutes, but I really feel I delivered a good ride. I’m not a bad time trialist, so two minutes is a lot. It shows just how good he is. We all know that, but hats off to him. Everyone expects him to win, he sets the pressure, and yet he delivers.”

Arensman has always been a strong time trialist. Sometimes it didn’t show, for example early in a Grand Tour when he had some fatigue or in very hot conditions. In 2026, however, he was already fifth in a time trial in the Algarve and even second in the Tirreno-Adriatico time trial, also behind Ganna.

The strong performance did not come out of nowhere. “Preparation began last November when we adjusted my position on the time trial bike. It was very effective, I think. The whole team has made progress in time trials, really listening to the riders. We work together as staff and riders, so it’s great to see results and give back to the staff.”

A 1-2 in the stage results and Arensman virtually on the Giro podium give Netcompany INEOS a solid platform to build on. The time trial setup is working, and even uphill, Arensman showed in Stage 9 that he was the best behind Vingegaard and Gall. The second week of the Giro will mainly consist of transition stages, with the next major uphill finish only on Stage 14 on Saturday.