Hello and welcome to our live blog for stage seven of the Giro d'Italia. Today marks the first of two time trials at the race, a 40.6km slog between Foligno and Perugia, with a steep kicker towards the end.
Let's start by taking a closer look at today's course.
The first rider down the ramp will be Julius van den Berg (dsm-firmenich PostNL), the last placed rider on GC, at 12:10 BST.
There's just under an hour and a half until proceedings get underway in Foligno.
Check out the flared visor on Geraint Thomas's KASK TT helmet. The Welshman had a similar design at the Vuelta a España last year, but this one, presumably, is new; it's stamped with "05/2024", the current month.
For those opting for a bike change today, here's where they'll do it. There's a special zone, 30m in length, just before a sharp left-hand bend where the road ramps up.
Ten minutes until the stage begins, so it's time for me to lay my cards on the table. I think Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) will take the victory today – he's fast on the flat, in tremendous form, and is a very punchy climber.
STAGE SEVEN BEGINS
The DJ at the start ramp is playing some serious techno music. The riders seem non-plussed by it.
We've currently got 14 riders out on the course, all heading towards the first timing point just before the 20km mark. We'll have an idea of how fast they're going when they get there.
Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) is the latest rider to start. He's bandaged up all along the ride side of his body following a nasty crash earlier in the race.
Having started fourth, Josef Cerny (Soudal-Quick Step) is the fastest at the intermediate time check. Ryan Mullen (Bora-Hansgrohe) trails 36 seconds behind.
We've had a spill. Tobias Lund Andresen (dsm-firmenich PostNL) crashes on a sweeping right-hand bend immediately after the start. He's back up and on his bike, and looks fine to finish.
Former world champion Tobias Foss (Ineos Grenadiers), one of the day's favourites, rolls down the start ramp. The Norwegian crashed a few days ago, so it's uncertain whether he'll attack this course.
Cerny's average speed to the first time check was 51.547km/h.
Ryan Mullen (Bora-Hangrohe), second down the ramp, is the first to hit the steep climb near the end of the course. The double-figure gradient has taken the sting out of the average speed. The riders are grinding up it.
Eduardo Affini is looking good out on the course.
Mullen is approaching the finish now. He's over the line with a time of 55:52
Here comes Cerny. He's beaten Mullen by a minute so is now officially the first leader of the day.
Cerny says it was pretty windy out on the course. The flat part had a "cross tailwind" according to the Czech rider.
Jonathan Millan, a stage winner this week, is out on the course now in the maglia ciclamino as the best sprinter.
Filippo Ganna is on his bike warming up ready for his shot at the race. Is he going to do something big this afternoon? Let us know on X if you think Ganna can take the stage win.
As it stands Affini (Visma-Lease a Bike) is the current stage leader out on the road. He's just going past the 6km to go mark.
The climb at the end looks brutal! A real test for the riders at the end of a time trial.
Apparently this is the longest Giro time trial for nine years
Dan Lloyd of GCN says he's not expecting to see any bike changes from some of the favourites today. The reason being its only really the first portion of the climb that's particularly steep.
Mikkel Bjerg will be starting soon for UAE Team Emirates. Apparently he's been given the green light to really go for it for UAE today with an Olympics spot on the Danish team at stake this summer.
Bjerg has just gone down the start ramp. Let's see what happens with him. He's a decent time triallist so could be right up there later this afternoon.
Lidl-Trek's Daan Hoole is about to hit the finish line. He's 33 seconds quicker than temporary stage leader Max Walscheid.
Perugia looks beautiful in the afternoon sun. Affini is heading up towards the finish.
Affini has just missed the race lead. He's finished 10 seconds off Hoole's time of 54:16 so it's straight back to the team bus for the Italian.
Foss has just crossed the line for Ineos grenadiers. He's 2:22 down from Daan Hoole. Not the best of rides for the Norwegian.
Ganna is off now for Ineos.
Lorenzo Milesi has just taken 20 seconds off Hoole's lead. The Movistar man is our new stage leader.
Actually looks like someone caught Ganna on the arm as he started. The Italian appeared to shake his head with frustration as he got going and now we can see this is why.
You can see the Ganna incident in a bit more detail here courtesy of @annamacB on X.
Here goes Jan Tratnik for Visma-Lease a Bike on the start ramp. The Slovenian won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this year.
Filippo Ganna clocks the new fastest time at the first intermediate check. The Italian champion averaged 52.518km/h, almost a whole km/h faster than Cerny.
There are 56 riders still to start. Here's a reminder of some of the key names still to come, and their times, all in BST.
After all the drama regarding Tadej Pogačar's skinsuit – the UCI threatening to disqualify him for wearing the wrong colour – the race leader has found a solution for today's time trial.
Ganna is flying. At the foot of the climb, he has just caught the rider who started five minutes before him.
Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) takes the hot seat with 53-40. He won't be there long though, with Ganna in pursuit.
3.8km to go for Ganna, who's currently hitting over 50km/h on an uphill drag.
Ganna has just caught three more riders. I think that makes it eight in total.
Ganna's average speed throughout the course was 46.831km/h, 1.4km/h faster than Bjerg.
Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla), not to be confused with our stage leader, Filippo Ganna, is now out on the course. After this, the riders will start leaving at three-minute intervals. Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) is next.
Things are looking very good for Ineos Grenadiers. Magnus Sheffield clocks the second fastest time at the second time check, 49 seconds down on Ganna.
Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) is the latest to roll down the ramp. There's a bit of an Australian takeover going on, with Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) just ahead on the road.
We're now into our final ten riders. Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost), 10th on GC, begins his time trial.
Max Schachmann takes a provisional second place over the line. The Bora-Hansgrohe rider comes home 48 seconds down on Ganna. A very solid effort.
Schachmann's provisional second place lasts all of a few minutes. Magnus Sheffield thunders in 32 seconds down on Ganna.
For those of you keeping score, Pogačar has gone for maroon shorts today.
Cian Uijtdebroeks, fourth on GC, rolls down the ramp. He's wearing the new Giro helmet, you know, the one that looks like a Star Wars character. Fun fact: A rider is yet to win a time trial wearing it. Could today be the day?
Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe) sets off to the sound of mounting techno. Just Geraint Thomas and Tadej Pogačar to come.
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) has begun his time trial. He trails Pogačar by 46 seconds on the GC. Can he claw some of that back?
A strong ride from Thymen Arensman sees the Dutchman take a provisional third place at the finish line. Thats 1-2-3 for Ineos Grenadiers as things stand.
Here's Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), the last rider down the ramp.
Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) crosses the line just over a minute down on Ganna. The Italian started the day in 21st, and will break into the top 20.
Pogačar is "off to a rocket start", according to Eurosport's Jens Voigt, who is following the Slovenian on a motorbike.
The last two riders out on the course, Thomas and Pogačar have the windiest conditions. Crosswinds, to be exact, which aren't ideal for a disc wheel.
Sixth place provisionally for Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla). Not bad for a rider who spent yesterday in the breakaway.
Despite the murmurs before the stage, no rider has opted for a bike change so far.
Geraint Thomas comes through the first of two time checks 52 seconds down on his team-mate, Ganna. He's the 12th fastest through the marker.
Pogačar is eight seconds faster than Thomas at the first time check. The difference between the two is marginal, as the wind picks up on the course.
There's probably only around 20 minutes to go in this time trial. Filippo Ganna still leads with a time of 52-01, the next closest rider is Magnus Sheffield, 32 seconds down. There's still a handful to come home, though.
Thomas and Pogačar are approaching the foot of the decisive final climb.
Thomas comes through the second time check 1-27 down on Ganna. That makes him the ninth fastest provisionally.
Juanpe López (Lidl-Trek), who started the day seventh in GC, has just shipped four minutes across the line. That's his gap to Ganna, remember, so he won't lose as much in the overall standings.
Pogačar is flying now. He comes through the second time check, at the base of the climb, in third place provisionally, 40 seconds faster than Thomas.
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) crosses the line in 17th provisionally. Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) will take the white jersey off his shoulders after today.
"Piano," slow down, says Filippo Ganna, as he watched Pogačar tackle the final 2km. The Slovenian could pip the Ineos Grenadiers rider's time at the line.
TADEJ POGAČAR WINS THE TIME TRIAL
The pink-jersey-wearer takes 17 seconds off Ganna's time over the line. He finished with 51-44 and significantly extends his Giro d'Italia lead.
Here's the full report from Tadej Pogačar's victory on stage seven. Tomorrow, it's another mountains test, with a summit finish on the category-one Prati di Tivo.
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