After the second rest day, Giro d'Italia 2025 continues with a 28,6 km long individual time trial
Lucca – Pisa
20 May 2025
28,6 km (ITT)
ON THIS DAY IN GIRO D'ITALIA HISTORY
FACES FROM THE PELOTON /ITALIAN CYCLIST OF THE DAY
Olimpio Bizzi,
the youngest Giro d'Italia stage winner ever.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION (TOP20) BEFORE THE STAGE
1 DEL TORO Isaac (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
2 AYUSO Juan (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) 1:13
3 TIBERI Antonio (Bahrain - Victorious) 1:30
4 CARAPAZ Richard (EF Education - EasyPost) 1:40
5 CICCONE Giulio (Lidl - Trek) 1:41
6 YATES Simon (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) 1:42
7 BERNAL Egan (INEOS Grenadiers) 1:57
8 MCNULTY Brandon (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) 1:59
9 YATES Adam (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) 2:01
10 ROGLIČ Primož (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) 2:25
11 STORER Michael (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) 3:03
12 CARUSO Damiano (Bahrain - Victorious)3:06
13 ARENSMAN Thymen (INEOS Grenadiers) 3:21
14 VACEK Mathias (Lidl - Trek) 3:23
15 RUBIO Einer (Movistar Team) 3:34
16 PIDCOCK Thomas (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) 3:35
17 HARPER Chris (Team Jayco AlUla) 3:39
18 PELLIZZARI Giulio (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) 3:43
19 PIGANZOLI Davide (Team Polti VisitMalta) 3:46
20 GEE Derek (Israel - Premier Tech) 3:59
WHEN THE BIG MOUNTAINS WILL COME?
I know, I know. One week (and the opening weekend) is already over and the expectation is growing. When will the big mountains come?
You still have to wait for the first proper mountain stage in the Dolomites (Stage 15), but there will be a little more climbing tomorrow (Stage 11) already. But as I mentioned in this post too (and, of course, also in other posts, several times, the big showdown, as usual will arrive only in the third week. You should prepare for Stage 16, Stage 17, Stage 19 and Stage 20.
THE DELICACY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF A GRAND TOUR
Looking back at previous cycling seasons, as part of "my last cycling season " project, the start of the second week seemed to me always a crutial moment. Unlike this year, when there was an additional third rest day after the first weekend of the event, the first day without racing used to be the second Monday. The visitors' numbers (especially during those years when I only had one cycling blog, my Hungarian written TOURázzunk együtt) always dropped significantly, and I had the feeling, not only the cyclists, but I can have a rest day too. I mean, a rest day from writing about cycling, and focusing on my other projects.
Now, the problem is, that my whimsical brain never really loved this kind of rhythm. Once I stopped thinking about cycling and started focusing, for instance, on a longer essay on historical novels, or just intented to finish an article with a deadline looming, I always found hard to leave that topic and come back to cycling.
It was exceptionally problematic when the beginning of the second week still included a few uneventful plain stages with a possible bunch sprint at the end.
But starting a second week with an individual time trial, it would have been even more painful to pay attention to the race after the rest day again. I don't know when I have developed a distaste towards time trials (especially team time trials, bruh, terrible business), possibly when I started blogging about road cycling, because as I can recall at the beginning, some 30 years ago, I really liked this type of racing, but I usually cared less and less about it. (I think it was the dilemma that it seemed impossible to find the right narrative to write about time trials).
So, here we are now with an individual time trial on the first day of the second week. In the old day I would feel terrible that I don't care about it, now, while saying good my to the writing about currents road cycling events, it seemes OK.
IF YOU CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Pisa before the Leaning Tower: the forgotten naval power of Ancient Rome
When we think of Pisa, our minds immediately leap to the iconic Leaning Tower, throngs of tourists, and the marvels of medieval architecture. But long before its marble facades rose from the Tuscan soil, Pisa had already carved a name for itself—not in stone, but on the sea.
Welcome to Pisae, one of ancient Rome’s key naval outposts and a critical player in the empire’s maritime strategy.
Nestled between the Arno and Auser rivers, ancient Pisae was far closer to the sea than it is today. This geography made it a natural harbor, and by the 3rd century BCE, Pisa had become a strategic asset to the expanding Roman Republic. As Rome looked westward to Corsica, Sardinia, and even Hispania, Pisa served as the launchpad for naval expeditions and a defensive bastion against raiders from the Ligurian coast.
During the First and Second Punic Wars, Pisa's small but vital port enabled Roman fleets to launch operations across the Tyrrhenian Sea. After Rome took control of Corsica and Sardinia from Carthage in 238 BCE, Pisa’s docks became bustling with supply ships and war galleys, provisioning Roman legions and merchants alike.
It wasn’t just a launch point; Pisa was a lifeline for Rome’s ambitions in the western Mediterranean.
But Pisa’s naval value wasn’t limited to foreign campaigns. The northern regions of Italy were home to the Ligurian tribes, notorious for piracy and resistance to Roman rule. Pisa became a fortified frontier city, and its fleet patrolled coastal waters, ensuring the safety of trade routes and military convoys.
Roman historian Livy mentions Pisa in the context of these northern campaigns, painting it as a military nerve center on the very edge of Rome’s Italian domains.
Beyond war, Pisa thrived on commerce. Its port served as a trade hub, exporting timber from the nearby Apuan Alps, agricultural goods, and salt—a precious commodity in the Roman world. Its naval capacity also fueled shipbuilding, an industry that may have quietly laid the foundation for Pisa’s future as a medieval maritime power.
Over time, Pisa’s coastline shifted. The Arno delta silted, the sea pulled back, and Pisa’s port began to fade. As the Roman Empire declined, Pisa’s naval importance was slowly buried beneath layers of earth—and centuries of silence.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE STAGES 10 OF THE OTHER GRAND TOURS
Take a look at Stage 10 of Tour de France 2025
Take a look at Stage 10 of La Vuelta 2025
