De las Cuevas' time was the first time any rider had averaged over 53km/h in a Giro time trial.
The riders averaged 25.8 miles an hour reaching town, then faster on the two concluding three-mile loops.
From the starting point at the Pyramids of Giza, riders average 123 kilometers (77 miles) per day making their way south through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and finally South Africa.