UAE and Visma put on the back foot and handed big task by INEOS in Tirreno

Alongside Ganna, INEOS also had an outstanding Thymen Arensman in second place. On top of that, Magnus Sheffield finished fourth, just four hundredths of a second behind Max Walscheid’s third place for Lidl-Trek. That meant a full INEOS podium was only just out of reach. “I think we have options within the team,” Sheffield said afterwards to Eurosport, already hinting at team tactics for the days ahead.

And with the lack of real mountain stages in this year’s Tirreno, the time gaps created on day one may already prove significant. Ganna now leads Arensman by 22 seconds, Walscheid and Sheffield by 26, and number ten Isaac del Toro by 36 seconds. The Italian says he has no general classification ambitions, but added: “We’ll see what I can still do.”

“This Tirreno is different anyway because there are no huge mountain stages, which makes the race more open. A lot of different riders can win this year,” predicted Sheffield, who at still only 23 years of age pulled on the white jersey after the time trial. “I was 19 when I joined the team, so time goes by very quickly.”

Normally, Sheffield will not be the rider forced into a purely defensive role. “I think we can race aggressively. It gives us nice options to have so many riders high up on GC. There are a lot of other strong riders, like Primoz Roglic and the UAE guys, so it’s going to be an exciting fight.”

At UAE, they know exactly what needs to be done over the six remaining stages. With several punchy stages still to come, there should be opportunities for riders such as Del Toro and Jan Christen. “The time trial didn’t really suit me that well, but I’m satisfied,” Christen said. “Especially because I hadn’t been on the time trial bike beforehand, as I wasn’t really supposed to be riding for the GC here.”

The Swiss rider finished 39 seconds down on Ganna, three seconds slower than Del Toro. “In any case, I’m really happy with my time and I hope Isaac also posted a good one, so that we’re in a strong position straight away in the standings. We’re here with a very strong team and we hope to win this Tirreno.”

Felix Großschartner could also have a role to play for UAE with his explosiveness. The Austrian slotted in between Del Toro and Christen in the time trial, 38 seconds behind Ganna. “A completely flat time trial is maybe ideal for me, but it went well. The important thing is that Isaac and Jan set good times. If you look at the profile, I think it will be a very exciting battle for the overall win, but we’ve got a strong team here.”

UAE were not the only ambitious team to take a hit from INEOS in Monday’s Tirreno time trial. Visma | Lease a Bike were also hoping for more from Matteo Jorgenson. The American finished sixteenth, 43 seconds behind Ganna. “I had hoped for a better time,” he admitted honestly afterwards.

“Fortunately, the feeling in the legs was good. I know my form is where it needs to be at the moment, and I was able to limit the damage compared to my rivals.” Jorgenson also received encouragement from sports director Jesper Mørkøv. “It’s a good start to the week,” he said.

“Matteo loses a bit of time to some of his rivals and we need to make that up over the coming days. But I’m convinced Matteo can do that.”