Daan Hoole claimed a landmark win in stage 10 of the Giro dโItalia, storming to victory in the individual time trial from Lucca to Pisa. The Dutch national champion for time trialling delivered a perfectly timed ride in dry conditions, stopping the clock at 32:30 to take his first professional win at WorldTour level, and the fourth stage win of this Giro for Lidl-Trek.
Hoole edged out Josh Tarling by seven seconds and Ethan Hayter by ten. All three riders went early and were spared the worst of the rain, which later affected the general classification favourites.
Hayter had set an early benchmark of 32:40, but it didnโt last long. Hoole came in ten seconds faster, using a strong second half to overturn a deficit at the first intermediate split. Tarling, expected to win the stage, started fast and looked on course to beat both of them, but a slow pass around Mikkel Honorรฉ cost him precious time.
โI was aiming for this day, but I never thought Iโd actually win,โ said Hoole. โTo beat Tarling is just unbelievable. I paced it for the drag in the middle, pushed all the way to the end and the numbers were good. I think he started really fast and maybe paid for it late. I still canโt believe it.โ
Hoole credited Lidl-Trekโs focus on technical details for the improvement. โWeโve worked a lot on my position, especially for someone tall like me, and weโve got one of the fastest speedsuits in the peloton,โ he said. โItโs crazy and unexpected, but it shows how far the team has come.โ
Itโs a second career win for Hoole after his Dutch TT title last year, and the first Giro time trial win by a Dutchman since Tom Dumoulin in 2018.
Rain hits GC contenders, but Del Toro holds on
By the time the GC favourites began their runs, rain had started to fall in Pisa. Isaac del Toro was one of those caught in the worst of it, losing 47 seconds to teammate Juan Ayuso and 1:07 to Primoลพ Rogliฤ. Despite the conditions, the 21-year-old Mexican retained the maglia rosa by 25 seconds.
โIt was a good day because I didnโt crash,โ said Del Toro. โI didnโt take any risks in the corners. I pushed on the straights, but otherwise tried to ride safe. Iโm still in pink and Iโm happy.โ
Del Toroโs ride was understandably cautious, with the Giroโs first rainy day creating treacherous conditions. โOn the first corner I realised how slippery it was and changed my approach,โ he explained. โIt wasnโt worth going full gas if I was going to slide out.โ
Ayuso and Rogliฤ tighten the race
Ayuso and Rogliฤ both made big gains in the GC fight. Ayuso, who had been nearly a minute behind his teammate, is now just 25 seconds off the lead. Rogliฤ, recovering from a crash in recon earlier in the day and still nursing injuries from the gravel stage, delivered a strong ride in the wet to move up to fifth overall at 1:18.
For UAE Team Emirates XRG, the time gap between their two GC riders is narrowing – and the question of leadership is growing louder. โItโs up to the team to decide what happens next,โ Del Toro said. โIโm happy to follow whatever plan they decide, whether I keep the jersey or support someone else.โ
The team now has four riders in the top ten: Del Toro, Ayuso, Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates. But how they manage that depth will be tested as the Giro hits the mountains.
Photo Credit: LaPresseYates climbs to fourth, Bernal crashes and slides down GC
Simon Yates continued his quiet resurgence with a measured ride in the rain, limiting his losses and jumping up to fourth overall, just over a minute off pink. โAfter adjusting to a new time trial setup, itโs finally coming together,โ said Yates. โI want to stay focused and play a role in the mountains later in the race.โ
There was frustration for Egan Bernal, who crashed after just 4km, bruised his hip, and eventually finished nearly three minutes down on Hoole, falling to eleventh overall. He now sits 2:33 behind the race lead.
โI finished on adrenaline, but Iโm more frustrated about the time I lost,โ said Bernal. โIt was very slippery out there. Letโs see what happens tomorrow.โ
No more time trials – only the mountains remain
With all of the time trialling now complete, the final ten stages will be decided entirely in the mountains. That changes the dynamic. Riders can no longer rely on a final TT to claw back time – what happens on the road will decide the podium.
Wednesdayโs stage 11 offers 3,800m of elevation and an uphill finish at Castelnovo neโ Monti. Further ahead, the climbs of Monte Grappa and Colle delle Finestre loom large.
After the Pisa reshuffle, just 2:27 separates Del Toro and tenth-placed Thymen Arensman, who also benefited from drier roads to climb into the top ten. The gaps are still small, the leadership at UAE is still unclear, and the road is climbing steeply from here.
The Giro’s race of truth may be over, but the real battle is just beginning.
Photo Credit: LaPresse2025 Giro d’Italia Stage 10 result
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Main photo credit: LaPresse
