Joao Almeida strengthens against the clock before the high mountain

• Classifications.This is the Giro

It was so obvious that

was also going to win the Valdobbiadene time trial that his victory requires no further comment, despite the superiority with which he beat his teammate Rohan Dennis and the rest of the specialists present at the Giro, who are Many.

[Narration and classifications]

From here, everything was unknowable and all of them were resolved in favor of

, the surprising leader of the Giro that is already clear from the epithet that has been accompanying him during the last 12 days of reign in the 'Corsa Rosa'.

It can no longer surprise because in the two time trials disputed he has proven to be the best of those who aspire to be crowned next Sunday in Milan and also because he has shown his strength and ambition in the mid-mountain days in which the most comfortable thing was to see them come .

In this Saturday's 34-kilometer time, of the top 15 overall, only

, set a better time than the Portuguese at the finish line, which is enough to climb from eleventh to fourth position.

Discounting the American, third behind Ganna and Dennis, the reference for the general was always set by the Portuguese cyclist, who until this Giro had not exhibited a special skill against the clock, not even in the sub'23 category which, by age, would still reciprocate.

Kelderman also wins

Almeida improved all the forecasts, being sixth in the stage at 1:31 of the unreachable world champion of the specialty.

Only Wilco Kelderman, who also reinforces his second place in the general classification, held the pulse of the leader, with which he only lost 16 seconds.

From there, the differences with the rest of the best exceeded the minute: 1:06 with Majka (his great time),

, 1:23 with Nibali, 1:29 with Masnada, 1: 30 with Pozzovivo, 1:42 with Fuglsang and 2:00 with Konrad.

With these differences, Almeida still keeps Kelderman quite close in the general classification, at 56 seconds, but leaves the rest more than two minutes, with

, now 2:11 behind the leader.

The good thing for that squad headed by the Biscayan runner is that there is still a world left for the Giro to finish.

There are only seven stages, yes, but four of them are high mountain, a terrain in which the 'pink jersey' is still unknown.

This Sunday's stage, with the finish in the Piancavallo dolomitic (14 km. At 8% on average) after three second-category ascents, will begin to shed light on the extent to which Almeida's chances of winning this Giro are real.

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