Filippo Ganna fell a second short of victory in the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico, but the Italian champion declared himself satisfied with his display in Lido di Camaiore after a difficult start to his season.
A bout of tonsillitis in November had hampered Ganna’s preparation for the new season, and the Ineos rider’s struggles were laid bare at last month’s Volta ao Algarve, where he placed a distant 6th in the time trial.
Although Ganna was unable to match his 2021 and 2022 victories on the short Lido di Camaiore course on Monday, he took heart from his display on a stage won by Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates). Ganna was two seconds down on the Spaniard at the midway point, and he was unable to close the gap despite a late charge.
“To miss out by one second means I’ve already done better than the last time, so I’m happy,” Ganna told reporters after he crossed the line. “Now we have to keep working and hope we can get back to winning. Compared to Algarve, where I wasn’t able to maintain it, I’m happy with my sensations.
“It’s going to be a difficult week here, we’ve seen the level of our rivals. We’ll go day by day and see.”
Ganna has made the Paris 2024 Olympics the centrepiece of his season. He will lead defending champions Italy in the team pursuit while also chasing gold in the individual time trial.
The 27-year-old’s Olympic focus means that his ambitions for the cobbled Classics have been put on hold for another season. Ganna was a very promising 6th at Paris-Roubaix last year, but he will eschew the pavé in 2024, preferring to ride the Tour of the Alps in preparation for the Giro d’Italia.
Ganna will, however, return to Milan-San Remo, where he placed second twelve months ago, and he told La Gazzetta dello Sport on Monday morning that he had reconnoitred the course on his return from the Volta ao Algarve. “It’s only right to get to know every meter by memory, especially the descent of the Poggio,” he said.
Twelve months ago, Ganna went close to overall victory in the Algarve, but he was stoical about his current labours.
“When you’re not performing the way you want, knowing your abilities, it’s difficult,” Ganna said. “It can be a bit wearying and stressful, but you have to stay focused on your goals. I don’t want to speed up or slow down the process.
"If certain victories don’t come, we’ll just have to stay calm and hope that the more important victories will arrive later. But we’ll draw the conclusions later. We’re not machines where you just turn a screw to increase the engine displacement.”
