Giro d'Italia: Gianluca Brambilla maintains overall lead after time trial
- Published
Italy's Gianluca Brambilla has held on to the leader's jersey by one second as Primoz Roglic won a rain-affected stage nine time trial in the Giro d'Italia.
Etixx-Quick Step rider Brambilla saw his overall 23-second lead almost wiped out by team-mate Bob Jungels.
Roglic's victory was aided by heavy rain that affected later starters on the 40.5km route from Radda to Greve.
The Slovenian (LottoNL) clocked 51 minutes 45 seconds - 10 secs ahead of Matthias Brandle (IAM Cycling).
Braendle's team-mate Vegard Stake Laengen was third and former four-time world time-trial champion Fabian Cancellara (Trek) fourth.
Brambilla - who finished 17th in the stage, 2mins 5secs behind Roglic - told Eurosport: "It was wet and slippery but I had to give it a go. The pink jersey is still mine - only just - but it's still mine."
Earlier in the day, Germany's Marcel Kittel, who led the Giro after back-to-back stage wins in the Netherlands, retired from the race.
Kittel made his decision after finishing 18 minutes behind team-mate Brambilla, Saturday's stage eight winner.
The tenth stage, which will happen on Tuesday after a rest day, will take the riders on a mountainous 216km route from Campi Bisenzio to Sestola.
The Giro - the first of the three Grand Tours in the year, before the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana - finishes in Torino on 29 May.
Stage nine result:
1. Primoz Roglic (Slo/LottoNL) 51mins 45secs
2. Matthias Brandle (Aut/IAM Cycling) +10"
3. Vegard Laengen (Nor/IAM Cycling) +17"
4. Fabian Cancellara (Sw/Trek) +28"
5. Anton Vorobyev (Rus/Katusha) +30"
6. Bob Jungels (Lux/Etixx-Quick-Step) +45"
Overall Standings:
1. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita/Etixx - Quick-Step) 34hrs 33mins 4secs
2. Bob Jungels (Lux/Etixx - Quick-Step) +1"
3. Andrey Amador (Crc/Movistar) +32"
4. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/ LottoNL) +51"
5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita/Astana) +53"
6. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +55"
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