The Slovenian preceded Campenaerts (+0:11) and goes back to second overall, gaining ground on his main GC rivals.
Primoz Roglic remarked his status as king of TT races at the 102nd Giro d’Italia, and one of the men to beat for the overall glory at the Corsa Rosa to top stage 9, a 34,8 km ITT with start in Riccione (Italy) and finish in San Marino on Sunday, May 19th. Fast in the flat stint, Roglic even elevated his pace on the slopes to San Marino’s stronghold, finishing with a 11-second advantage on Victor Campenaerts and one minute on Bauke Mollema.
The 29-year-old rider from Trbovlje rode a special version of Bianchi Aquila CV, customized by Bianchi to enhance his performance. A low-weight paint was employed on the frame, and its quantity was limited to the minimum to further reduce the weight, contributing to Roglic’s performance on the uphill section. Furthermore, Bianchi and FSA/Vision provided Roglic a customized handlebar, shaped on the basis of the Slovenian’s forearm.
Another key to Roglic’s success was his ability to remain on the aero position remarkably longer than his rivals, being able to push in several turns in which his rivals were forced to stand: this is due to the optimization of the Bianchi CV system powered by Countervail (carbon material with special fiber architecture and viscoelastic resin), that enhances handling control by cancelling up to 80% of road vibrations. A critical advantage that can prove decisive, as it certainly was for Roglic on the day.
Thanks to the strong performance in San Marino, Roglic moved up 10 positions in the GC, now sitting second with a 1:50 gap from Valerio Conti. Winner of Bologna’s 8-km ITT, Roglic wore the leader’s pink jersey for five days.
