As it happened: Tirreno-Adriatico stage 1 time trial

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the opening stage of the 2024 edition of Tirreno-Adriatico

The first rider down the start ramp, Alex Tolio (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè) leaves at 1235 CET.

For a full list of the start-times, here's the link:

Tirreno-Adriatico stage 1 individual time trial start times

Here's a map of the route in the coastal town of Lido di Camaiore. Pancake (or should that be piadina) flat, and with one mid-stage checkpoint at Viarregio, after 5.4 kilometres. Coastal winds definitely could be a factor.

Perhaps with that weather factor in mind, key GC favourite Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) is out of the blocks at 1237 CET, just the third rider to start.  

To call the Lido di Camaiore individual TT a regular feature in recent editions of Tirreno-Adriatico is only fair. Last year, run over a slightly longer distance of 11.5 kilometres it was won by Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) by a stunning 28 seconds on Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe). In 2022, he also won, by 13 seconds over Remco Evenepoel on a 13.9 kilometre course in the same place. Just to look at the last decade, Lido di Camaiore also was the start and finish town for the opening mass start stages in 2021 and 2020, for TTTS from 2016 through to 2019, and an ITT, won by Adriano Malori, back in 2015.

Ganna's racing again today, starting at 1524 local time, and will be the key favourite for the TT win.

Cyclingnews'  Stephen Farrand is on the  ground, here's his report on what Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), who had a strong start to the 2024 season at the Volta ao Algarve, had to say about racing in Tirreno-Adriatico this March.

‘Living in the moment and being happy’ - Tao Geoghegan Hart just wants to race

And the first rider,  Alex Tolio (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè) just started his time trial. The 2024 edition of Tirreno-Adriatico is officially underway.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) has begun his TT. This isn't his first time trial of the season, he already raced an equally short opening TT in O Gran Camiño in Spain a couple of weeks back, but the stage times were neutralised for GC purposes because of poor weather and a hefty percentage of riders, including Vingegaard, didn't go all out as a result. This, then, is his first full-on time trial of 2024.

Vingegaard has a new helmet for the Tirreno-Adriatico TT which looks, let's say, a mite outlandish. Full story, courtesy of Cyclingnews' Josh Croxton, is here:

Just when we thought TT helmets couldn't get any weirder: Giro leaves us speechless

In terms of what Tirreno-Adriatico means for Jonas Vingegaard in terms of the bigger GC picture, Cyclingnews Barry Ryan and Stephen Farrand have a full analysis here:

The other Cannibal – Jonas Vingegaard ready to impress at Tirreno-Adriatico

And here's a picture of Vingegaard on the TT course

Vingegaard completes the course in a time of 11:46. It's the provisional, best time, and the first averaging over 50kmh but there are a lot of riders to come.

And Vingegaard's best time has now been overtaken by Kevin Vauqelin (Arkéa - B&B Hotels) who roars home in a time of 11:42, four seconds faster.

Vauqelin barely has a chance to draw breath, let alone head for the hot seat before his time is superceded by former U-23 World TT Champ Soren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), who sits atop the leaderboard with a time of 11:39.

Weather update: it's is a relatively fresh 12 degrees C out there, and it's raining. 

Ecuadorian National TT Champion Richard Carapaz rolls down the start ramp. He's one of the contenders for the overall title. 

Next down the ramp is Michal Kwiatkowksi (Ineos-Grenadiers), a winner of Tirreno-Adriatico back in 2018.

Kwiatkowski is the only previous winner of Tirreno in this year's race, by the way, although there are plenty of previous podium finishers, amongst them Vingegaard in 2022.

The intermittent rain is rendering the course wetter and slippier, and on a short course like this one, GC contenders will be opting not to take too many risks.

Carapaz is a case in point, crossing through the mid-way checkpoint, 31 seconds down on the current best time set by Waerenskjold of 5:53, and clearly taking things quite gently in order to avoid any risks. 

Another picture of Vingegaard in full flight in the TT.

Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R) crosses through the intermediate time split with the seventh best time. 

O'Connor heads across the line in sixth place, 15 seconds down on Waerenskjold. A strong start to the Australian's race.

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), recently a winner of the Faun-Ardèche Classic, makes a blisteringly fast start as the rain stops, at least for now, and the course begins to dry up.

Don't forget that Ayuso is only 21, but he is already a winner of two World Tour time trials, at Romandie and Suisse last year.

Best intermediate time for Ayuso, tied on time with Waerenskjold in 5:53.

And here's a shot of O'Connor during the stage 1 TT

Ayuso roars past his minute-man, Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty) with a kilometre to go.

And Ayuso has taken the best time, a whopping 15 seconds ahead of Wærenskjold, who gallantly claps his hands his appreciation as he watches Ayuso cross the line and move the Uno-X rider out of the hot seat.

And here's a picture of the man of the moment, Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates), while out on the course.

Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility) passes through the time split 15 seconds down on Ayuso.

Three times Czech National TT champ Josef Cerny (Soudal-QuickStep) squeezes into second place on the TT, 14 seconds down on Ayuso but one second up on Wærenskjold.

Former double World Champion Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep), who crashed out of Strade Bianche and has a bandaged right knee injury, has just started.

He's followed by Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), fourth in Strade Bianche and another rider to watch in the GC battle.

22 seconds down at the intemediate split for Alaphilippe, who's already had three stage wins in Tirreno and who could be making a fourth an objective this week.

Pidcock takes the corners preceding the Viareggio time split with his usual smooth efficiency and passes through the check with a 26 second time loss.

Pidcock crosses the finish line 33 seconds down on Ayuso.

Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek), already a winner at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana this year, has got off to an impressively fast start.

Dani Martínez, Colombia's multiple national time trial champion, rolls down the start ramp. The Bora-Hansgrohe racer, twice a summit finish winner at the Algarve already this season, could well be in the mix on the climbs here as well.

Jonathan Milan started strongly and finished strongly, finishing second on the stage at 12 seconds. 

Martínez crosses through the split time check 22 seconds down on Ayuso, a below-expectations performance for the Colombia champion although he could claw back time on the second half of the course.

Way back when, Robert Gesink (Visma-Lease A Bike) claimed a podium finish in Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing second in 2011. Here's a shot of the Dutch veteran starting the Race of Two Seas for one last time in what is set to be his final season.

Another veteran Tirreno racer, Chris Froome, who won a stage of Tirreno-Adriatico back in 2013 when he was beaten overall by Vincenzo Nibali, crosses the line just over a minute down on Ayuso.

The weather, incidentally, has dried up completely now and the course is looking almost dry as well.

Magnus Sheffield, third in last year's opening TT at Tirreno-Adriatico, and second in the Volta ao Algarve TT this February, heads down the start ramp. The Ineos-Grenadiers rider is immediately followed by Lennard Kamna (Bora-Hansgrohe), second in the TA time trial last year.

Sheffield crashes on a left-hand corner. But he's back up and racing.

A slight hole in the left leg of Sheffield's shorts is the only immediate visible damage and he was able to get back on his same bike, but on such a short TT that is likely to  have seriously harmed his chances of vying for the win.

Sheffield goes through the split 28 seconds down. 

Lennard Kamna is 20 seconds down on Ayuso at the split. The Spaniard is looking increasingly likely to take a top three place at the very least.

Sheffield finishes 20th, 31 seconds down, a impressive finish given the circumstances.

After Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) makes his 2024 stage racing debut today. The most prolifically successful WorldTour racer in 2023, will the Belgian sprinter take his first victory of 2024 in Tuesday's largely flat stage?

After a long wait, a rider has finally cracked the top five - just. Antonio Tiberi  (Bahrain-Victorious) crosses the line 17 seconds down. But it's indicative of how impressive Ayuso's performance has been that while there are 19 riders within 20 seconds of each other, from second through to 20th on the stage, Ayuso remains a resounding 12 seconds clear of his closest rival.

Magnus Sheffield during his crash-blighted stage 1 TT

Filippo Ganna (Ineos-Grenadiers), the big pre-race stage 1 TT favourite and winner of this exact same TT in 2023 and in 2022, is out on the course and the local star gets some big cheers as he rolls down the start ramp.

Ganna is followed by Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), the 2022 Giro d'Italia champion.

Hindley finished fifth overall in Tirreno back in 2022, so will likely be a contender here again this week.

Ganna did not have a great  - by his very high standards - opening time trial for 2024 at the Volta ao Algarve, taking sixth, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on here.

Big result from Ganna at the time split, just two seconds off Ayuso. It's going to be close...

Hindley also impresses, crossing through the split just eight seconds behind Ayuso. 

Resplendent in his Italian National TT Champion's jersey, and a former double World TT, Ganna is forging on powerfully towards the finish.

Ganna takes a chicane faultlessly and returns to his full aero' position for a last blast to the line.

Ganna has 20 seconds advantage with 250 metres to go

But he can't make it. Ayuso is still ahead by just one second and well en route, barring major surprises, to the stage win.

Hindley has faded a bit in the second half but is still an impressive 24 seconds back, 11th on the stage.

Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) claims a notable third place, just 12 seconds back.

Mark Stewart (Corratec - Vini Fantini) is still to come home, but as the last rider and more than a minute down, he's not going to beat Ayuso's time.

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) wins the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico

Some first words from the winner: "It's great, I think everybody knew Filippo Ganna (Ineos-Grenadiers) was going to be the big rival to try and beat me,. At the intermediate he was there and at the final until the last second we still didn't know so it was a very emotional victory, a very special one and it gives good morale and motivation for the week ahead."
"Before I started I saw the times and the average speed was much less coming back than going out due to the headwind, so I knew I had to save the legs, but when I turned around I knew I was going to do  a good time. because I still hadn't gone full gas and I was already with the same time [as the previous best] in the intermediate. So  I didn't know I could win but I did know against the GC guys I could do a good time. Going back I gave my all until the finish."
"I don't know if Jonas [Vingegaard] is the favourite, but for sure he's going to be one of the toughest rivals we have in the race, so it's good to start this way and have this time ahead of him because for sure going to put up a battle and it's going to be very very hard to beat him. But we're going to give our very best to try and win this race."

Stage results courtesy of FirstCycling

Ayuso's victory, his second of 2024, means he is leading a WorldTour race for the first time since he led Romandie last year for a day, also after winning the time trial.

It's also the continuation of a hugely promising career for Ayuso, already the youngest ever podium finisher in the Vuelta a España (and second in any Grand Tour) when he finished the 2023 Vuelta in third place. And this spring compares brilliantly well to last year, too, when he was suffering from a knee injury, a suspected neuralgia, that saw him delay his season debut for several months.

Juan Ayuso makes injury-delayed 2023 season debut at Tour de Romandie

And here is Ayuso on the podium celebrating the win

Ayuso also takes the leader's jersey of Tirreno-Adriatico, as well as the lead in the Best Young Rider's ranking and the points. No mountains jersey was awarded today.

Ayuso is the first Spanish leader of Tirreno-Adriatico since Alberto Contador moved into the top spot on stage 5 of the 2014  race and went on to win it outright. No pressure then.

Stage 2 of 2024 Tirreno-Adriatico is a 198-kilometre run from Camaiore to Follonica there’s an early climb that could well see a break go and couple of short climbs mid-stage. But the phrase 'Bunch sprint looms' is definitely the one that best sums it up.

You can read our full report, complete with gallery, analysis and results, via this link

Tirreno-Adriatico: Juan Ayuso storms to opening time trial victory, takes first leader's jersey

That just about wraps it up for the stage 1 Tirreno-Adriatico live report. More news, interviews and analysis will be on the website this evening and we'll be back again tomorrow with more live coverage of stage 2.