The Race of the Two Seas opened Monday with its traditional individual time trial, 11.5 kilometers along the flat Adriatic coast of Lido di Camaiore. And Filippo Ganna did exactly what everyone expected: he won it, and he did it convincingly.

The Italian Ineos Grenadiers rider stopped the clock at 12:08, beating his teammate Thymen Arensman by 22 seconds. A dominant display. Ganna had been the clear favourite and he delivered, turning the opening stage into a statement of intent.

For the GC battle, the key number is five. That’s the gap between Primož Roglič, seventh at +0:31, and Isaac del Toro, tenth at +0:36. It’s not a disaster for the Mexican, but it means Roglič won the first head-to-head of the week. Del Toro had gone fastest at the 5km checkpoint, leading by four seconds, but he lost time in the second half of the effort and eventually finished six seconds behind Alan Hatherly, who had set the early benchmark.

Antonio Tiberi, Del Toro’s main rival from the UAE Tour, sits just three seconds ahead at +0:33, which sets up a fascinating week between the three of them.

Del Toro’s teammate Jan Christen finished close behind in the time trial, and UAE’s strategy looks clear: protect Del Toro, wait for the mountains, and attack when it matters. The real race starts on the climbing stages, where the Mexican has already proven he’s one of the best in the world.

Stage 2 on Tuesday is a flat 215km sprint stage from Camaiore to Follonica. No GC action expected. The race comes alive from Stage 3 onwards.

Stage 1 Results (Top 10):

GC after Stage 1:

Sources: Cyclingnews / EsCiclismo / Ciclismo Al Día