Remco Evenpoel finished second in the opening time trial at Tirreno Adriatico, putting him among the GC contenders after day one. But afterwards, the Quick Step-Alfa Vinyl leader said he thought there was little he could do to fend off Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) in the remaining races.

Evenepoel was 11 seconds behind stage winner Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), but seven seconds ahead of Pogachar.

After the stage, Evenepoel said that the only way to surpass Pogačar, fresh off a dominant solo victory in the Strade Bianche over the weekend, was for the Slovenian to have an off day.

"I think the only way you have a chance to beat him is if he is really out of shape and hasn't recovered from last Saturday. But he is a very strong and spectacular rider, so he probably won't have a bad day this week." [To compete with him, I think the best way is for both of us to be at our best and not let luck get in the way. So I hope to fight this week without any bad luck.

Evenpoel, who is wearing the white young jersey tonight and had hoped to wear the blue leader's jersey instead, added that he gave it his all on the 13.9 km course. However, he was only 11 seconds behind Ganna, another step forward in his development.

"You always have to believe you can win when you start in a time trial," he said. The pacing went according to plan." But Filippo is such a time trial specialist that it was really difficult and surprising to beat him today.

"But I'm glad I came so close. To be a little bit closer to him in a short time trial is good for my development and I think it's a new step for me.

"Of course, winning the leader's jersey in a time trial is always a big goal, but the white jersey is not bad either.

Evenpoel added that while he was disappointed not to win the Lido di Camaiore, he was encouraged by the coming days when the peloton will tackle a series of sprint and hilly stages through central Italy.

With a strong opening stage performance under his belt, he said he will be more relaxed going forward.

"These races are similar to Paris-Nice, and I am very nervous every day. If I had a bad time trial I would be more stressed in the days to come, but thanks to my run I am relaxed."

"I want to keep this position and try to stay in the best group. But I think everyone in the team trusts me. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are the three days when GC will be decided. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are the three days that will decide GC.