Lorenzo Milesi races Giro d'Italia stage 10 time trial in an ice vest after forgetting to remove it

Lorenzo Milesi made an unusual appearance during the Giro d’Italia stage 10 time trial when he began the race wearing an ice vest over his skinsuit. Typically used to pre-cool a rider’s core temperature before exertion, the vest is removed prior to racing to avoid aerodynamic drag. However, Milesi revealed after the stage that he simply forgot to take it off before starting, resulting in a rare sight on the ramp and during the race itself. Despite the added aerodynamic resistance caused by the ice vest, which likely hampered his performance, the Movistar rider managed a solid time of 48 minutes and 33 seconds. This effort placed him ninth overall and notably ahead of general classification favourite Jonas Vingegaard by 20 seconds. Milesi acknowledged that his time trial would have been faster without the vest, describing the experience as a lesson learned, though his performance still demonstrated resilience under less-than-ideal conditions. The incident raises intriguing questions about the potential benefits of cooling technology during time trials. While the vest added drag, its cooling effect might have helped maintain Milesi’s power output, prompting speculation about whether integrated cooling garments could become a future innovation in aerodynamic time-trial suits. If such designs emerge, they could represent a new frontier in marginal gains for professional cycling. This wardrobe mishap was not the only clothing blunder for Movistar at the Giro, as teammate Enric Mas was spotted wearing the women’s team kit during the race. Mas downplayed the mix-up as a simple distribution error, noting that the kit fit well despite the unexpected branding. These incidents highlight the occasional human errors behind the scenes, even at the highest level of professional cycling, adding a touch of levity to the intense competition.