Giro d’Italia LIVE: Time-trial start times as Josh Tarling bids for stage two victory in Tirana

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The Giro d’Italia continues today with the first of two individual time trials, a short and largely flat 13.7km run through Tirana which will provide an early battleground for the GC favourites Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso.

Mads Pedersen was the winner on Friday’s opening stage, pulling on the famous maglia rosa, but the Dane may find his stint in the overall lead is short as both the time-trial specialists and GC contenders hunt a stage win of their own.

Today’s stage will be of critical importance to those who slipped down the pecking order yesterday as they look to pull back time, while Roglic and Ayuso can build on their early advantage with a strong result in the Albanian capital. Wout van Aert is among the favourites today and look out for Ineos Grenadiers’ Josh Tarling, a time-trial specialist who will fancy the stage win here.

Follow all the action from stage two of the 2025 Giro d’Italia below.

Yesterday: Mads Pedersen clinches victory and maglia rosa

It was Pedersen's second career stage win in the Giro, having also won in Naples two years ago.

Pedersen has also won two stages at the Tour de France, and three at the Spanish Vuelta. Giro d'Italia organizers said he will be the first rider from Denmark to wear the pink jersey.

"To top it off with the pink jersey is absolutely amazing," Pedersen said. "It's my first leader's jersey in a Grand Tour."

Venezuelan rider Orluis Aular crossed third.

Lawrence Ostlere10 May 2025 11:10

Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two

Of the other maglia rosa contenders Italian youngster Antonio Tiberi should be well placed to profit from the time gaps to some of the weaker time-triallists, while for the likes of Richard Carapaz, Einer Rubio, veterans Romain Bardet and Mikel Landa, and climber Giulio Ciccone it will be a case of damage limitation.

Within the UAE Team Emirates-XRG hierarchy we may see some movement too: Ayuso and Adam Yates are in theory co-leaders and both have TT pedigree, but the Brit may find himself slipping down the pecking order if his 22-year-old teammate is on song.

Of the specialists, Tarling, European time-trial champion Edoardo Affini, and the Czech pair of Josef Cerny and Mathias Vacek could be outsiders for a stage win.

Lawrence Ostlere10 May 2025 11:03

Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two

Stage two of the 2025 Giro d’Italia gives the GC contenders have an early opportunity to throw down the gauntlet to their rivals, with a short time trial in Tirana, Albania.

Mads Pedersen took the leader’s pink jersey with victory in the sprint at the end of stage one, but could find himself handing it over to one of the major GC favourites on a second day in the Albanian capital.

It’s a largely flat, straightforward stage, with a category four bump in the road halfway through, which might be enough to put off the pure time-trial specialists like Ineos Grenadier’s Joshua Tarling - although expect the 21-year-old to put in a strong performance regardless - and favour the GC riders who are strong in a TT.

It’s not particularly technical either, with the exception of some sharp corners and U-turns: held on wide, sweeping roads through urban sprawl, with a pan-flat final 3km and a dead straight 500m sprint to the line. What it should be is fast.

At only 13.7km there shouldn’t be significant gaps between the big favourites, but with fewer serious mountain showdowns in this race - particularly, fewer summit finishes - than normal every second will count. Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso are the best against the clock of the main favourites and this could be a drag race between the pair to take the honours early on in the year’s first Grand Tour.

Lawrence Ostlere10 May 2025 10:50