Bouwman says Lussari won't surprise Roglic: "He has already tackled it a few times"

Koen Bouwman saw his team leader Primoz Roglic slightly reduce his time gap to Geraint Thomas. The difference between the two favorites for the overall victory in the Giro d'Italia is now 26 seconds.

"I think it went well. He gained a few seconds at the end," Bouwman tells Eurosport. "It's going to be very exciting. Today, Primoz rode impressively strong again, as did Thomas. We certainly won't give up, especially Primoz."

"That also applies to tomorrow, which will be all about having the legs," Bouwman says, referring to the half uphill time trial. "Hopefully, Primoz' legs are up to the task, and he can make up time." According to the Dutch climber, there is nothing new he can tell Roglic about the climb. "He has tackled it a few times already in winter, so he knows it better than us," says Bouwman about the terribly steep Monte Lussari.

A bike change by Roglic was a notable moment in the final section of the nineteenth stage. "There was something wrong with his bike, and we had this one as a backup. So we just played it safe," says Bouwman, confirming that Roglic will use that bike for the time trial. "I think so. SRAM is a new sponsor, which allows us to ride with a single chainring. I'm not exactly sure how the bike will be, but it will definitely have a single chainring," concludes Bouwman.