Lennard Kämna in attacking mood, Emanuel Buchmann in bad luck: Kämna delivered a strong performance at the Hungarian guest appearance of the 105th Giro d'Italia with an eighth place in the individual time trial.
Buchmann, on the other hand, crashed on the 9.2 kilometres through Budapest and lost an important 57 seconds to the day's winner Simon Yates. The British rider, winner of the 2018 Vuelta, was ultimately three seconds faster than the Dutch winner Mathieu van der Poel, who was able to defend his pink jersey.
"My front wheel slipped off in the middle of the race. I got back on the bike quickly. I don't feel too bad. It should still fit. I've had worse time trials," said Buchmann, who is aiming for a front place at the Giro after being repeatedly set back by crashes and illness over the last two years.
Kämna, on the other hand, impressed on the course in front of huge crowds of spectators in the Hungarian capital. The 2020 Tour de France stage winner even led for a long time, but in the end he was 17 seconds down on Yates. "It was a really good time trial. For me, it was also important for my self-confidence," said Kämna, who had already put himself in the limelight at the start on Friday when he was unsuccessful with a sharp attack shortly before the finish.
On Sunday, the third stage over 201 kilometres from Kaposvar to Balatonfüred will conclude the three-day Hungarian guest appearance before the entourage travels to Sicily. The race continues there on Tuesday.
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