British 21-year-old Josh Tarling delivered a career-high victory on stage two of the Giro d’Italia, winning the individual time-trial by one second from overall favourite Primoz Roglic.
Tarling spent an hour in the hot seat watching as others tried and failed to knock the Ineos Grenadiers rider off spot. Roglic just missed out but earned the mighty consolation of the pink jersey after taking the overall race lead from stage-one winner Mads Pedersen by one second. Australian Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) came third on the stage, three second behind Tarling in the short 13.7km route in Tirana, Albania.
Follow all the reaction from stage two of the 2025 Giro d’Italia below.
Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two
- Stage two is an individual time-trial in the Albanian capital (13.7km) | Live on TNT Sports
- British time-trial specialist Josh Tarling (Ineos) wins stage by one second from Primoz Roglic
- Mads Pedersen loses pink jeresy to Roglic by one second after finishing seventh in time-trial
Top 10 – general classification
17:01 , Lawrence OstlerePosRider TeamTime
01Roglic, Primoz Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe03:52:32
02Pedersen, Mads Lidl-Trek+ 01
03Vacek, Mathias Lidl-Trek+ 05
04McNulty, Brandon UAE Team Emirates-XRG+ 12
05Ayuso, Juan UAE Team Emirates-XRG+ 16
06del Toro, Isaac UAE Team Emirates-XRG+ 17
07Poole, Max Team Picnic PostNL+ 24
08Tiberi, Antonio Bahrain Victorious+ 25
09Storer, Michael Tudor Pro Cycling Team+ 27
10Pellizzari, Giulio Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe+ 31
Tarling wins Giro d’Italia stage two time-trial
16:59 , Lawrence OstlereJosh Tarling makes statement with victory in Albania:
Josh Tarling claims statement win in Giro d’Italia stage two time-trial
Stage two results – top 10
16:361) Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) in 16’07”
2) Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) +01″
3) Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +03″
4) Edoardo Affini (Visma | Lease a Bike) +06″
5) Mathias Vacek (Lidl Trek) +06″
6) Daan Hoole (Lidl Trek) +08″
7) Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek) +12″
8) Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +13″
9) Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep) +14″
10) Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +17″
Josh Tarling speaks
16:22 , Lawrence Ostlere“I can’t believe it to be honest,” says 21-year-old Tarling after being told he is the youngest ever winner of a Giro time-trial. “I’m so happy. [The wait] was not nice, I don’t want to do it again. A long day for 13km!
“You had Wout, Mads, Primoz really scared me, so it was a stressful day. We did the first part smooth and controlled, with the climb nice and hard. Then the last section I thought was harder than we reconned, so I made sure to hurt in the second to last section.”
Roglic, Van Aert and Pedersen fall short
16:20 , Lawrence Ostlere
Josh Tarling wins stage two!
16:15 , Lawrence OstlereWhat a huge day for Josh Tarling, as the Welshman clings on to claim the first grand-tour stage victory of his career! Fantastic performance.
Mads Pedersen may fall just short of Josh Tarling’s leading time, based on current numbers, but what will be much closer is whether he can keep hold of the pink jersey. He began the day with a 10-second lead over Primoz Roglic in the overall standings, and he’s currently nine seconds ahead of Roglic’s equivalent time on the road...
Pidcock safely completes stage two time-trial
16:07 , Lawrence OstlereTom Pidcock clocks a solid 16min 50sec to rank 37th as it stands.
Can anyone beat Josh Tarling's time?
16:06 , Lawrence OstlereWout van Aert appears too far back to catch Tarling, trailing by more than 20 seconds at the intermediate checkpoint. Mads Pedersen, the rider in pink and the last to roll down the start ramp, is about five seconds down on Tarling in the first five kilometres of this 13.7km route in Tirana.
Wout van Aert begins time-trial
16:03 , Lawrence OstlereWout van Aert is on the road wearing the purple jersey, as he goes on the hunt for Josh Tarling’s leading mark.
Pidcock is out on the course
15:46 , Lawrence OstlereTom Pidcock, who finished fifth in yesterday’s opening stage, hits the road for his time-trial effort. He has said he isn’t too fussed about the GC here at the Giro, so this should be a pretty relaxed effort from the Q36.5 leader.
Top five as it stands
15:38 , Lawrence OstlereVacek also falls just short of Tarling’s time. Wout van Aert will begin his bid in about 20 minutes, and he is surely the biggest threat remaining to Tarling’s position.
1° TARLING Joshua 16' 07''
2° ROGLIC Primoz + 00' 01''
3° VINE Jay + 00' 03''
4° AFFINI Edoardo + 00' 06''
5° VACEK Mathias + 00' 06''
Tarling clings on to time-trial lead!
15:31 , Lawrence OstlerePrimoz Roglic comes flying to the line and clocks one second short of Josh Tarling’s time!
Brilliant by Roglic but Tarling is still, just, in the hot seat.
Roglic and Vacek on track to challenge Tarling
15:28 , Lawrence OstlereOverall race favourite Primoz Roglic and the young Czech time-trial champion Mathias Vacek are both a touch quicker than Tarling riding through the intermediate check point, although we know Tarling hammered the finale, so perhaps he can hang on here. It’s going to be very tight...
Top five as it stands
15:25 , Lawrence Ostlere1° TARLING Joshua 16' 07''
2° VINE Jay + 00' 03''
3° AFFINI Edoardo + 00' 06''
4° HOOLE Daan + 00' 08''
5° MCNULTY Brandon + 00' 13''
Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two
15:19 , Lawrence OstlereThe numbers behind that stage-leading ride by Josh Tarling:
Josh Tarling is an absolute powerhouse 😲
— Velon CC (@VelonCC) May 10, 2025
The INEOS Grenadiers rider hit huge numbers during the Stage 2 time-trial at the Giro d'Italia 👇
⏱ Time: 2'22"
💨 Avg speed: 31.9km/h
🌪 Max speed: 44.1km/h
⚡️ Avg power: 530w
💪 Max power: 620w
_______________
🇮🇹 #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/wzrMTb2shf
Ayuso slots in sixth as Roglic begins time-trial
15:16 , Lawrence OstlereJuan Ayuso crosses the line with a shake of the head, 17 seconds down on Josh Tarling’s lead time. Not a bad ride by the Spaniard, but he knows his GC rival Primoz Roglic is likely to go quicker than that.
Speaking of which – Roglic rolls down the start ramp.
Ayuso and McNulty on the road
15:13 , Lawrence OstlereSome big names are out on the road now. One of them is GC contender Juan Ayuso, leading Team UAE Emirates this year in the absence of Tadej Pogacar.
Brandon McNulty is another who might fancy taking on Josh Tarling’s target.
Josh Tarling takes time-trial lead!
14:45 , Lawrence OstlereTarling really attacks the course, using all of the road to keep his pace high through the tightest corners. His hunched frame comes thundering down the finishing straight to take the lead by three seconds!
Tarling’s mark to beat is 16min 07sec as he takes the provisional lead.
Jay Vine takes time-trial lead
14:27 , Lawrence OstlereWe have a new leader in Tirana: UAE Team Emirates’ Jay Vine sets a new mark at 16min 10sec.
Next down the ramp is one of the big favourites for this stage, Josh Tarling.
Lucas Plapp crashes!
14:02 , Lawrence OstlereAustralia’s Lucas Plapp (Jayco–AlUla) is running along nicely, looking to trouble Affini’s lead, when he hits the road on a slow right-hand turn. He’s helped back on to his bike and doesn’t look badly hurt, but that is his ride ruined.
Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two
13:51 , Lawrence OstlereA few images from the roads of Albania so far this afternoon:
Edoardo Affini leads standings
13:37 , Lawrence OstlereWe have a new man atop the standings. The reigning European time-trial champion Edoardo Affini, who has an ITT stage win on his CV at the Vuelta a Espana, sets the new mark at 16min 13sec, with about 50 riders across the finish line so far.
Ethan Hayter leads time-trial standings
13:10 , Lawrence OstlereSo far 23 riders have crossed the finish line and Ethan Hayter, twice a British time-trial champion, has set the early pace with a time of 16min 21sec. There is still plenty of firepower to come and knock him off top spot...
Stage two is under way!
12:44 , Lawrence OstlereStage two of the 2025 Giro d’Italia has begun, with the first few riders now out on the 13.7km course, which is drenched in sunshine this afternoon.
Mikel Landa abandons race with broken back
12:28 , Lawrence OstlereSpaniard Mikel Landa sustain a fractured back in a crash with around 5km to go in yesterday’s opening stage.
Announcing that he had abandoned the event, Landa's team Soudal-Quickstep said: "Mikel was immediately taken to the hospital, where examinations and a CT scan revealed that he had suffered a stable fracture of the Th 11 vertebra.
"This will require Mikel to remain in a stable lying position for an extended period of time. He will remain at the hospital overnight, before further assessment and a plan for this return home will be made."
Selected rider start times
12:13 , Lawrence OstlereNiklas Markl (Picnic PostNL) will get the stage going shortly before 12.25pm BST. Here are some riders to watch:
12414:28:00 Tarling, JoshuaINEOS Grenadiers
15414:58:00 Ayuso, JuanUAE Team Emirates - XRG
15615:00:00 McNulty, BrandonUAE Team Emirates - XRG
16115:05:00 Vacek, MathiasLidl - Trek
16815:14:00 Roglic, PrimozRed Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
17815:44:00 Pidcock, ThomasQ36.5 Pro Cycling Team
18115:53:00 van Aert, WoutTeam Visma | Lease a Bike
18215:56:00 Pedersen, MadsLidl - Trek
Yesterday: Mads Pedersen clinches victory and maglia rosa
11:59 , Lawrence OstlereIt was Pedersen's second career stage win in the Giro, having also won in Naples two years ago.
Pedersen has also won two stages at the Tour de France, and three at the Spanish Vuelta. Giro d'Italia organizers said he will be the first rider from Denmark to wear the pink jersey.
"To top it off with the pink jersey is absolutely amazing," Pedersen said. "It's my first leader's jersey in a Grand Tour."
Venezuelan rider Orluis Aular crossed third.
Yesterday: Mads Pedersen clinches victory and maglia rosa
11:44 , Lawrence OstlereFormer world champion Mads Pedersen narrowly beat Wout van Aert in a sprint finish to win the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia on Friday and claim the first pink jersey of this year's race, which started in Albania for the first time.
Pedersen, who won the world title in 2019, edged Van Aert by half a wheel in the hilly 160-kilometer (99-mile) stage from Durres to Tirana, which had a flat finish.
"We had a clear plan today and the team was really amazing to put that hard a tempo on the climb. That was exactly what we wanted," Pedersen said of how his Lidl-Trek team set the pace on the final third-category climb. "We made a plan and we fulfilled the plan."
Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two profile
11:28 , Lawrence OstlereToday’s profile is relatively flat, with one category four hill to hurt the legs midway throught the short 13.7km course.
Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two map
11:16 , Lawrence OstlereHere is a look at today’s route around the Albanian capital:
Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two
11:03 , Lawrence OstlereOf the other maglia rosa contenders Italian youngster Antonio Tiberi should be well placed to profit from the time gaps to some of the weaker time-triallists, while for the likes of Richard Carapaz, Einer Rubio, veterans Romain Bardet and Mikel Landa, and climber Giulio Ciccone it will be a case of damage limitation.
Within the UAE Team Emirates-XRG hierarchy we may see some movement too: Ayuso and Adam Yates are in theory co-leaders and both have TT pedigree, but the Brit may find himself slipping down the pecking order if his 22-year-old teammate is on song.
Of the specialists, Tarling, European time-trial champion Edoardo Affini, and the Czech pair of Josef Cerny and Mathias Vacek could be outsiders for a stage win.
Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two
10:50 , Lawrence OstlereStage two of the 2025 Giro d’Italia gives the GC contenders have an early opportunity to throw down the gauntlet to their rivals, with a short time trial in Tirana, Albania.
Mads Pedersen took the leader’s pink jersey with victory in the sprint at the end of stage one, but could find himself handing it over to one of the major GC favourites on a second day in the Albanian capital.
It’s a largely flat, straightforward stage, with a category four bump in the road halfway through, which might be enough to put off the pure time-trial specialists like Ineos Grenadier’s Joshua Tarling - although expect the 21-year-old to put in a strong performance regardless - and favour the GC riders who are strong in a TT.
It’s not particularly technical either, with the exception of some sharp corners and U-turns: held on wide, sweeping roads through urban sprawl, with a pan-flat final 3km and a dead straight 500m sprint to the line. What it should be is fast.
At only 13.7km there shouldn’t be significant gaps between the big favourites, but with fewer serious mountain showdowns in this race - particularly, fewer summit finishes - than normal every second will count. Primoz Roglic and Juan Ayuso are the best against the clock of the main favourites and this could be a drag race between the pair to take the honours early on in the year’s first Grand Tour.
Giro d'Italia 2025 – stage two
10:43 , Lawrence OstlereHello and welcome along to live coverage of today’s stage two from the Giro d’Italia.
