Ganna Wins Shortened Vuelta Time Trial As Pidcock Stays Third Overall

4 hours ago

BySteve Sutcliffe

BBC Sport journalist

Italy's Filippo Ganna won a shortened individual clip proceedings connected shape 18 of nan Vuelta a Espana arsenic Britain's Tom Pidcock retained his 3rd spot successful nan wide standings.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Joao Almeida, who is 2nd successful nan wide classification, took 10 seconds disconnected nan advantage of wide title leader Jonas Vingegaard.

The shape was reduced from 27.2km to 12.2km to guarantee "greater protection" for riders because of information concerns resulting from a bid of pro-Palestinian protests during nan three-week race.

Police numbers were besides ramped up, pinch hundreds of protestors waving flags on nan way and whistling riders from Israel-Premier Tech.

And French news agency AFP reported that 2 protestors were detained for trying to jump complete barriers.

Two-time world clip proceedings champion Ganna, 29, lived up to his billing arsenic nan favourite, pinch nan Ineos Grenadiers rider edging retired Australian Jay Vine by a 2nd successful Valladolid.

"Obviously, pinch nan news of nan alteration successful nan parcours [route] past nighttime it was a spot strange, but I tried to do nan champion today," said Ganna, who was 10 seconds quicker than anyone other complete nan last 4 kilometres.

"The first portion I didn't find nan correct hit and successful nan last I tried to push complete without reasoning of nan numbers. I americium really happy for today."

While Ganna's accelerated decorativeness ensured he pipped Vine, each eyes were focused connected nan conflict astatine nan apical of nan wide classification.

Almeida vanished powerfully to put clip into Visma-Lease A Bike's Vingegaard and nan Portuguese rider now sits 40 seconds down nan Dane pinch 2 competitory stages of racing remaining.

Q36.5 Pro Cycling's Pidcock vanished 29 seconds down Ganna but managed to widen his advantage complete Australian Jai Hindley successful nan conflict for nan last podium spot by 3 seconds.

With a comparatively level 161.9km tally from Rueda to Guijuelo scheduled for Friday, it raises nan imaginable of a immense time successful nan mountains connected Saturday's penultimate shape pinch a acme decorativeness connected nan Bola del Mundo.