Giro d'Italia

The site of some major battles in Napoleon’s Italian campaigns, Castigliano delle Stiviere served as starting location for stage 14 of the race, a 31.2km individual time trial. Unlike the first test against the clock, the course was flatter, but still featured some rolling sections, the most demanding of which came after the Solferino checkpoint. From there, the riders headed towards the stunning Lake Garda and Desenzano del Garda, the largest town there and the finish location of the day.

The first Soudal Quick-Step man to roll down the ramp, Josef Cerny concluded the stage as the highest-ranked rider of the team, after setting the fastest time at both splits and briefly staying in the hot seat. Thanks to an average speed of 50.6km/h, the Czech recorded a time of 36:50 on the stage won by Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers).

In the general classification, his countryman Jan Hirt continues to be the best placed rider of our squad, less than a minute from the top ten overall ahead of the hardest stage of the race, which will see the peloton take on the steep gradients of the infamous Mortirolo before a tough summit finish in Livigno.

Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images