Live

Giro d'Italia stage 21: Live coverage of the final time trial

Follow live coverage of the 30.3km Giro d'Italia time trial in Milan

Welcome to live coverage of the Giro d'Italia stage 21 time trial in Milan. Riders face a 30.3km race against the clock in the Giro's final test.

>>> Egan Bernal secures Giro d'Italia overall as team-mate Filippo Ganna claims final stage 21 time trial

Final top three on stage
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, in 33-49
2. Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 34-01
3. Edoardo Affini (Ita) Team Jumbo-Visma, in 34-01

Refresh

Welcome to live coverage of the Giro d'Italia stage 21 time trial in Milan. Riders face a 30.3km race against the clock in the Giro's final test.

>>> Egan Bernal secures Giro d'Italia overall as team-mate Filippo Ganna claims final stage 21 time trial

Final top three on stage
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, in 33-49
2. Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 34-01
3. Edoardo Affini (Ita) Team Jumbo-Visma, in 34-01

General classification going into the final day

1. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, in 85-41-47
2. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious, at 1-59
3. Simon Yates (GBr) Team BikeExchange, at 3-23
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech, at 7-07
5. Romain Bardet (Fra) Team DSM, at 7-48
6. Daniel Martínez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7-56
7. Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education-Nippo, at 8-22
8. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 8-50
9. Tobias Foss (Nor) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 12-39
10. Dan Martin (Irl) Israel Start-Up Nation, at 16-48.

It is unlikely that we'll see any change in the podium but the rest of the top 10 in the GC may see a bit of a shuffle with João Almeida of Deceuninck - Quick-Step being one of the best TT riders in the race.

The Portuguese rider is just about a minute behind some far weaker riders against the clock.

Last in the GC, though, the Maglia Nera... Riccardo Minali doesn't wear a black jersey as the classification is no more but the Italian sprinter will be glad he's made it round the three weeks.

He's followed by promising Italian fast man Matteo Moschetti, the Trek-Segafredo rider has managed a couple of top 10s in the race but no GT win yet.

Umberto Marengo setting off, he just misses out on the Fuga Bianchi prize for most KMs in the break which will be going to Swiss rider Simon Pellaud. 

Both have battled each other in the breaks, mostly during pan flat sprint stages, despite Pellaud being a talent climber.

Maciej Bodnar sets off. A potential top 10 today for the former Tour de France time trial winner.

He's done some vital work for Peter Sagan yet again as well as their GC man Emanuel Buchmann before the German crashed out. 

Matthias Brändle now sets off. The time trial champion of Austria will look for a good result. He managed a solid ride on the opening stage time trial and will hope to replicate that.

Bodnar has already caught his minute man of Max Richeze before getting to the first time check at 9.2km. 

World champion time! Filippo Ganna sets off to try and make it five Giro d'Italia ITT victories in a row.

He took four stages in 2020 with three being the TTs, he hasn't had chances in the breakaway in this year's race but he should be taking the win today.

Another possible top 10 rider today is Michael Hepburn. The Australian will want to put in a good display into Milan.

Ganna's main rival is fellow Italian, Edoardo Affini... He has shown some amazing form in this year's race. Can he turn two second places into a win today.

The victor of the points classification at the Giro d'Italia for the first time, Peter Sagan adds the purple points jersey to his collection.

He's now out on course.

Ganna comes to the first time check, I believe that's about a minute faster than Bodnar but the gap they showed to the Polish rider's second split time oddly.

Riccardo Minali is going to be the first rider to finish the stage and his race in 37-27. He may be disappointed by his race, not performing in the sprints. But, he'll be content he's got round.

Bodnar sets the fastest time of 34-42, that's a lot better than the next best of Albert Torres, almost two minutes better.

Ganna is 32 seconds faster at the second split. This is what we were expecting. He isn't taking the corners too well as he has to have a few stabs at the corners, but the pace he's managing is incredible.

Elia Viviani has just finished his Giro. He didn't manage a win but he will now set his sights on the Olympic games. He's also going to be Italy's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

See all of the rider's start times for the final stage by checking out our start times list now.

Max Walscheid has just come in with the fastest time at the finish. 21 seconds faster than Bodnar. 34-22 is his time.

See more

Ganna has a slow rear puncture. He's getting a bike change which was very quick, he has plenty time to sort this out. He has two minutes on Walscheid in the final KM so should lead, but how much time can someone like Affini or Rémi Cavagna pull from it?

Ganna comes to the finish now with a 33-48, just 33 seconds faster than Walscheid. That would have been close to a minute without the issue.

Affini coming to the line now but he just misses out to Ganna et again. 34-01, that's 12 seconds dow on the world champion.

Peter Sagan finishes is Giro in the points jersey. He does win that jersey. He finishes just under three minutes down on Ganna on the day.

Jan Tratnik sets off on his ride. He managed second place on the stage up the Monte Zoncolan but this is the terrain that suits him best.

Cavagna is out on course now. He is likely to be the only riders who can realistically beat Ganna. But, the French time trial champion hasn't looked quite himself. He has looked a bit off colour on the two stages we've seen him. 

He finished in 5th on stage one. We didn't see him again until stage 18 where he hit out solo with 26km to go, only to be dragged back by Alberto Bettiol who went on to solo to victory.

Cavagna finished that stage in 9th in the end as he had emptied his legs. Maybe he has time to rest as we haven't seen him included in the drives for João Almeida on the flat parts of the mountain stages.

See more

Cavagna comes in 13 seconds down on Ganna at the first split. That is salvageable, but I doubt he'll be involved in the win now.

The winner of the blue mountains jersey, Geoffrey Bouchard sets off on his ride. I believe he is the first ever Frenchman to win this jersey and the first ever rider to wear the mountains in both the Vuelta a España and the Giro d'Italia 

Cavagna is now second at the second split, 18 seconds down. Could he possibly beat Ganna? This could be much closer than previously thought as the bike change for Ganna will make it quite tight.

Tratnik comes in currently in 4th, 42 seconds down on Ganna.

But here comes Cavagna, he doesn't have a lot of time to play with and he has lost it! He crashed into the barrier, clipping the fence on the inside of the bend before going straight into the barrier. He misses out on the stage win by 12 seconds behind Ganna.

Stage 18 winner, Alberto Bettiol has had an incredible Giro for himself and in support of his leader. He said himself in his post-race interview on stage 18 that he is one of the world's best time trialists... Lets see if he can prove that.

Matteo Sobrero was putting in an amazing ride but he got held up by both the Groupama-FDJ and Team DSM cars blocked him in the final few hundred metres. He could've taken second place, instead finishes 4th.

One of the former wearers of the pink jersey, Attila Valter sets off as we see Jonathan Castroviejo come in 5th at the first split, 28 seconds down.

Lorenzo Fortunato sets off. He managed to take a win for his EOLO-Kometa team on the Monte Zoncolan and now sits 14th in the overall standings at his Grand Tour debut.

12th overall, Koen Bouwman sets off. What a superb ride the young Dutchman has had. He is up there with his team-mates of George Bennett who is off next and then Tobias Foss who is sitting in 9th overall.

Bettiol is coming in with a very solid ride, he has, to some extent, backed what he said with a time of 34-22, that's 34 seconds down on Ganna.

Now, this rider could potentially get a top five today. Tobias Foss sets off on his time trial now. Unlikely to move up in GC as he is a long way back on Almeida who is four mins ahead. 

João Almeida sets off with a potential 4th or 5th on the cards in the GC. He is an excellent time trialist and should move up today.

Gianni Moscon coming into the finish with a solid ride again, he gets a 34-32, that's 8th place at 44 seconds behind Ganna.

Hugh Carthy sets off for his test against the clock. He is definitely in with a chance of maybe moving up, he is a good time trialer on his day but then again he can have off days too. He would've probably have been hoping for better things in the GC.

The Colombian time trial champion, Dani Martínez sets off on his ride. He's likely to move up at least one place as Romain Bardet is the next man who is just around 10 seconds in front of the Colombian in GC

Vincenzo Nibali finishes the Giro down in 29th on the stage. Hopefully he can get his form back to where he wants for his new objectives.

Fourth overall, Aleksandr Vlasov sets off. I think he'll be disappointed too. He was sat in third and second for so long only to slip away a little in the final week.

Simon Yates looked a shoe-in to take at least second place on stage 20 after a wonderful performance on stage 19 to take the stage victory. But, he just did not have the legs in the end and is 3-23 down on Egan Bernal at the start of today. He should stay in third by the end. 

Damiano Caruso did the opposite to what Yates did, lost a bit of time on stage 19 then went on a daring ride with his team-mate Pello Bilbao as well as Bardet and his team-mates of Michael Storer and Chris Hamilton at DSM. He took the stage and pulled the gap inside two minutes.

Caruso came to this race as a domestique for Mikel Landa before the Spaniard crashed out. So this is an immense ride.

The 2019 Tour de France champion, Egan Bernal, is set to add the Giro d'Italia 2021 to his list of wins. He moved to Italy from Colombia at the start of his road racing career with Androni, he now sets off to claim the pink jersey in Milan.

Caruso has taken 25 seconds on Yates at the first split. What a ride the Italian is putting in.

Almeida is coming to the line with an amazing time. Its a 34-15, just 26 seconds behind Ganna in 5th on the day. He will be in, at least, 7th overall

Carthy finishing off his Giro... Not what he would have wanted. Almeida passes him in GC, 34th on the day, over two minutes down on Ganna at the top.

Dani Martínez finishes 14th on the day, he will finish fifth at least, we're waiting to see what the likes of Vlasov can do.

At this rate, Caruso will be putting a minute into Yates and about 10 seconds into Bernal.

Romain Bardet comes to the line, 28th at 2-09, so we will have to get counting and see how Martínez and Almeida move up

Vlasov finishing with a good ride, 18th on the day at 1-26 down on Ganna. He holds onto 4th overall I believe.

João Almeida finishes 6th with Martínez holding onto 5th by the smallest of margins... Bardet slips down the GC. Yates will be coming in soon to solidify his 3rd overall.

Yates coming into the finish now, he puts in a solid enough ride but does lose more time. He finishes in 49th, 2-45 down on Ganna.

See more

Caruso gets a huge cheer in Milan as he comes to the line with a very good ride to take 17th on the day, 1-23 down on Ganna. He takes second overall, absolutely wonderful to see from him.

Finally, Egan Bernal is the last man to finish and he will take the win now. The only way he can lose it now is if he crashes or has a mechanical, but that isn't likely to happen as he goes under the flamme rouge and the last KM of the Giro d'Italia 2021.

Egan Bernal finishes stage 21 in Milan and raises his arms to win the 2021 Giro d'Italia. He finishes 1-53 down on Ganna but that doesn't matter. Ineos Grenadiers win the stage, the overall and the white jersey too for the second year in a row.

Giro d'Italia 2021, stage 21 standings

1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, in 33-48
2. Rémi Cavagna (Fra) Deceninck - Quick-Step, at 12s
3. Edoardo Affini (Ita) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 13s
4. Matteo Sobrero (Ita) Astana-Premier Tech, at 14s
5. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 27s
6. Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Qhubeka-Assos, at 33s
7. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education-Nippo, at 34s
8. Jan Tratnik (Slo) Bahrain Victorious, at 42s
9. Gianni Mocon (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, at 44s
10. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 47s.

Final general classification 

1. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, at 86-17-28
2. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious, at 1-29
3. Simon Yates (GBr) Team BikeExchange, at 4-15
4. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Astana-Premier Tech, at 6-40
5. Dani Martínez (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7-24
6. João Almeida (Por) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at same time
7. Romain Bardet (Fra) Team DSM, at 8-05
8. Hugh Carthy (GBr) EF Education-Nippo, at 8-56
9. Tobias Foss (Nor) Team Jumbo-Visma, at 11-44
10. Dan Martin (Irl) Israel Start-Up Nation, at 18-35.

Full race report: Egan Bernal secures Giro d'Italia overall as team-mate Filippo Ganna claims final stage 21 time trial 

Giro d'Italia 2021 standings: The final results from the 104th edition

That's that from our live coverage at the Giro d'Italia 2021.

The final jerseys look like this

Pink: Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
Purple: Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
Blue: Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) Ag2r-Citroën
White: Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
Team: Ineos Grenadiers 

Thanks for following.

See more

End of live blog

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1