Ganna practices a different sport, races without opponents, puts two minutes between himself and the rest of the world. Besides, he's also the only true watchmaker present at the Giro, so the news would be if he lost the time trial. Long live him, long live Italy, long live this beautiful day of truly blue sky, after Ballerini's day in Naples.

Then there's the rest, meaning the topic of the day: did Signor Eulalio give something more or did Signor Vingegaard give something less (with the result that the pink jersey remains on the shoulders of the happiest among the Portuguese)?

I've always been convinced that opinion writers are paid to take positions and express clear stances, not to say that anything could happen. In this case, I have very little difficulty and proceed with a copy-paste, from first to last line, of what the recovering Cipollini (Mario, trust me, these are the true triumphs of life) says without writing it in the "Trial" segment. I confirm that no thriller is unfolding at the Giro, that Vinge is simply winning the Giro without overdoing it, carefully managing his Tour condition, growing gradually, without wasting even a crumb. The time trial, this time trial of torment and difficulty: let's talk about it. Following it kilometer after kilometer, the data never deviated from the same wattage value (around 350) and pedal cadence. A sign of crisis, this? I would read it as a sign of self-control, never breaking through the wall of fatigue (except for a few final minutes). But it's possible I have blinders on.

As the thinker says, anything is possible: certainly, it could happen that Vinge collapses already in the brutal Liguria stage. Or that he goes adrift in the Alps further on. Yet, I choose option two: that even the "alarming" time trial is nothing but the natural continuation of the original project, always the same one, precisely that one, winning the Giro while training. And since peak form shouldn't arrive here, because that would be pure suicide, a cautious management of the long time trial is normal.

A necessary addition: it's not true that Vinge comes out of the time trial empty-handed, defeated, because I'd bet a dollar that he hit his real target perfectly, that is to add another week without the hassle of wearing the pink jersey through the Giro, with all the annoying complications that come with it, race control, team under stress, endless post-race ceremonies at various protocol passages. Better, much better to leave it still in the care of Signor Eulalio, the happy one, quite pleased to keep it warm. With an added advantage: in the final week, Vinge will be able to count on an opposing team that's not exactly hostile, let's say diplomatically. And even more so at the Tour. I'm not the one to discover that to operate at certain levels, diplomacy counts for something too...

Moral: the world didn't collapse in the Massa time trial, Vinge's times and methods are in line with his racing philosophy (winning on one leg), from here on it will be a matter of verifying who might take advantage of a collapse, because if someone loses, someone else must win, and here honestly it all seems like a game of musical chairs, in 42 kilometers you lose Gall and find Arensman, every day some glimmer, but always and in any case really pale and timid stuff compared to the monster to be tamed (I'm obviously talking about mountain Vinge...). The rest will follow. As we go, mountains approaching. I almost forgot, there's another moral of the day, as a marginal note: even battered by ailments and surgeries, Cipollini confirms he's the most opinionated opinion writer of all. In the sense that likeable or not, he throws out clear and sharp opinions anyway. A revolution, from those parts of the Rai tribunal. Compliments and high marks to whoever called him, low marks to whoever won't call him again.