The vibe at the Netcompany Ineos team bus at the start of stage 11 was calm but quietly ambitious. After several years of struggling to compete in Grand Tours, Thymen Arensman has suddenly put the British team back in the GC game at the Giro d'Italia after the time trial on stage 10.
Geraint Thomas was the team's last Giro podium finisher when he was third in the 2024 Giro d'Italia. The Welshman is now the team's Director of Racing and ready to fight for at least a podium place in Rome.
"We have to obviously try and ride like we've been doing so far. There are still tricky days to come, but we have to stay attentive and be up front. We have to be ready to capitalise on anything," Geraint Thomas told Cyclingnews and La Gazzetta dello Sport at the start of stage 11 in Porcari.
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"Saturday's stage to Pila is the next big test. So it's about trying to take our GC advantage into that day. It's a long, hard day, so on paper, it'll be good for Thymen."
In the time trial, Egan Bernal lost 47 seconds to Vingegaard and is now 13th overall, 3:42 down. However, the Colombian is pain-free and also looking forward to the mountains to come. Netcompany consider Bernal a protected leader alongside Arensman, but the Colombian could be asked to play a tactical role.
Arensman finished second behind Filippo Ganna in the 42km Tuscan time trial, gaining a significant 1:06 on Vingegaard. He is now third overall, just 1:30 down on the Dane.
Vingegaard claimed he rode cautiously in the opening part of the long, flat time trial, and official timings revealed he faded in the final 10km. He was only 13th on the stage, with Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) and Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla) pulling back some seconds.
Suddenly, Vingegaard did not seem invincible, sparking debate about his form and his health, amid reports of an illness passing through the peloton.
"I would have expected more, considering how he has performed in the past," Thomas said.
"I think everyone's getting better in time trials and maybe that gap is closing a bit, but even on the mountain days, I kind of expected bigger gaps.
"Maybe he's being a bit sick, maybe not. Maybe he's building up. Visma know what they're doing, but I would have expected him to be higher up amongst those GC boys."
Arensman was all smiles at the start in Porcari, even facing questions about his GC ambitions.
"I was happy with my performance in the TT," he said.
"I was almost two minutes behind Pippo, but our 1-2 showed that the team did a good job for our time trialling over the winter.
“It's only stage 11, and we have seen so many changes in the GC already, so it's so hard to predict what will happen next. A lot of things can still change. Everybody always talks about the third week in the Giro, and even this second week is quite hard. So many things can change.
"I really just tried to do my best every day, and I did some really good performances that I can be proud of. I can only control myself and not really the others.
If I just try to keep doing the same good things and try to keep my level, maybe the others get weaker or more fatigued. I just want to enjoy the process with my teammates. The Giro has been enjoyable so far, so let's just keep this going and we'll see where it ends."
Thomas will soon head home from the Giro, but is confident in Thymen's chances and happy that Netcompany are back in the GC game.
"It's great for Thymen. Obviously, there's still half a race to go, but with his history of slower starts in Grand Tours, I think it's been really good," Thomas said.
"His Tour de France stage wins last year boosted his confidence for sure. He won one from breakaway and was going man-to-man with them when he won the second stage. He's really had a solid winter and done a lot of work with his coach. He's been good all year, at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Alps.
"It's like with Pippo and time trials, it's one thing to be a favourite, but actually delivering is still a challenge, with all the pressure and expectations. To see both Pippo and Thyman put in a performance like that is really good for the team. It brings a group even tighter. Now we're racing for the GC again."
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