'It didn't really kick off' – Stalemate for Thomas and Roglic at Giro d'Italia

Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) on stage 13 at the Giro d'Italia 2023
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) on stage 13 at the Giro d'Italia 2023 (Image credit: Getty Images)

After a delay, a bus transfer and the inevitable, tiresome polemica that dominated RAI’s television coverage for much of the afternoon, the first Alpine stage of the Giro d’Italia eventually got underway from Le Châble at the foot of the Croix de Coeur. The abridged route promised intensity, but that still couldn’t break the stalemate between maglia rosa Geraint Thomas and Primož Roglič atop the overall standings.

“It was tough, but it didn’t really fully kick off, really,” Thomas said in Crans Montana after he finished alongside Roglič in a sizeable pink jersey group that only splintered within sight of the line. “Our boys controlled the race really well.”

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Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.