Tirana [Albania], May 11 (ANI): Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) lived up to his pre-stage favourite tag by claiming victory in the Time Trial on Stage 2 of the 2025 Giro d'Italia. After storming into the lead, the 21-year-old was made to sweat as Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) looked to leapfrog him but fell just a second short. The Slovenian did, however, take the overall race lead from Mads Pedersen.

A powerful but measured ride from Ineos Grenadiers's Josh Tarling was enough to carry him to his first Grand Tour stage victory. The British national champion, who suffered disappointment due to a mechanical in last year's Olympic TT, enjoyed 90 sweaty minutes in the hot seat, fending off assaults from general classification contenders including Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

Despite missing out on the stage win by a second, Roglic will wear the maglia rosa on the final stage in Albania for the first time since he won the title in 2023. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) put up a valiant defence but faded slightly in the final kilometres to fall back to second place. The one-second deficit to Roglic means he could reclaim the lead with sprint bonuses on Sunday.

In great time trialling conditions, Niklas Markl (Picnic PostNL) was the first rider onto the 13.7km course through the Albanian capital, Tirana. Consisting of 11 turns of 80 degrees or more, with a climb set in the middle, it was a classic time trial test, obliging riders to carefully consider their tactics even over the short distance.

One who got his right was Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step). Fourth down the ramp, the British rider judged his run to perfection, with a commanding second split carrying him past the two riders ahead of him and sending him straight to the hotseat. Hayter enjoyed 45 minutes there before European champion Edoardo Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) went eight seconds quicker with 16'13'.

UAE's Jay Vine, his knee strapped up after his crash on the opening stage, was not expected to contest the stage so the Australian stunned by going five seconds quicker than Affini at the 8km time check, positioned at the top of the course's single climb. The lightweight man saw the two seconds swing back towards the heavier Italian in the next 5km, but it was enough for him to move into the lead.

Tarling set out on his effort at 3.29 pm and although he looked good from the off, he did not explode out of the blocks. At the intermediate, he was losing three seconds to Vine, but gained that back and the same again on the descent and run-in, terrain better suited to the more powerful rider.

A few of the potential overall contenders who followed, such as Ayuso, set solid but not stage-threatening times. Roglic was the only rider to make Tarling sweat, as he came within a second of displacing the 21-year-old from the leader's throne. By reputation, and history, if not by recent form, the only rider left who could threaten Tarling's time was Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike,) but at no point did the Belgian look like he had what he needed to take either the stage or the maglia rosa.

The incumbent put up a stout defence in the pink skinsuit. Until the final couple of kilometres, it looked as if Pedersen might hang on, but the clock just went against him, and he slipped to second place behind Roglic. Pedersen will have a couple of chances to reclaim the jersey on Sunday, with extra seconds available at the Red Bull bonus sprint and the finish. Reaching them both will, however, require his climbing legs to be at their best.

Most riders achieved or performed above expectations. Michael Storer's (Tudor Pro Cycling) 19th on the stage was enough to move him into the top 10 overall. Likewise, Picnic PostNL's Max Poole, who marked himself out as a contender by finishing just 24 seconds down on Roglic. Tom Pidcock, in his first Grand Tour for Q36.5 Pro Cycling, might be disappointed to ship an additional 20 seconds to the race leader.

'The wait wasn't nice - I don't want to do it again,' Tarling said. 'It was a long day for 13k.'

Despite perhaps preferring the victory than the pressure and protocols that come with the overall lead, Roglic described himself as 'happy to have it.'

Giro d'Italia 2025 - Stage 3 - Valona will be live on Eurosport from 18:45 Hrs (06:45 pm IST) onwards on Sunday. (ANI)