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Giro d'Italia Stage 9: Brambilla keeps lead as Roglic wins time trial

Etixx-Quick Step rider keeps pink by 1 second from team mate Bob Jungels

Gianluca Brambilla of Etixx Quick Step has held on to the lead of the 99th Giro d'Italia following a rain soaked individual time trial through Tuscany's Chianti Classico vineyards, won by Primoz Roglic of LottonNL-Jumbo.

Former ski-jumper Roglic benefited from kinder weather than the later starters, with Katusha's Ilnur Zakarin the day's big loser.

The Russian had seemed to be heading into the pink jersey until a mechanical issue and two crashes - one on the final corner - cost him significant time.

Brambilla leads the race by just 1 second from his Etixx-Quick Step team mate Bob Jungels, who remains leader of the young riders's classification.

Following the 40.5km stage, Roglic said: "After approximately ten kilometres, I lost my computer and my bottle. I indicated to my sport director to pick my computer but I'm not sure if he understood what I was telling him. I also lost motivation and I decided to take it easy.

"But I was feeling fantastic uphill so I just pushed and pushed for the fun of it. I was really slow and unlucky at the beginning but very fast and lucky at the end because I only felt a drop or two while the riders after me got the pouring rain. This is strange, very strange".

Brambilla, winner of Saturday's stage 8, said: "Yesterday I expended a lot of of energy in the breakaway. I attacked and I went full gas all day. It was the same today: alone again, full gas again and nothing to lose. Everything went well. I kept the Maglia Rosa. Until now everything has gone well in the Giro. It's an amazing feeling".

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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