Filippo Ganna accomplished a ultimate reconnaissance trip of the Zurich World Championships time trial course on Saturday afternoon but it surely did little to spice up his end-of-season morale. The Italian is a two-time time trial World Champion however appeared resigned to defeat, anticipating Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) to defend his 2023 title.
Ganna will maybe struggle for a medal, towards Primož Roglič (Slovenian), Josh Tarling (Nice Britain) and Stefan Küng (Switzerland) however just isn’t at his finest after a major dip in type and morale after the Paris Olympics.
“There’s just one favorite and we’ll see how a lot time he beats us by,” Ganna mentioned of Evenepoel together with his ordinary deadpan realism, to a small group of Italian media and Cyclingnews.
Ganna just lately stayed at altitude and skilled on the observe within the hope of discovering an end-of-season peak and a second of nationwide delight whereas racing for Italy. He focused each the time trial and the workforce pursuit in Paris, profitable a silver medal behind Evenepoel on the roads of Paris and a bronze on the observe however had hoped for at the very least one gold medal.
He tried to respect his agreed Ineos Grenadiers August race programme and rode the Deutschland Tour however then give up the Renewi Tour after one stage attributable to fatigue.
“I’ve had some excessive and lows for the reason that Olympics. I had two choices: name it quits till 2025 or attempt to do one thing right here,” Ganna mentioned.
“I’ve tried to do one thing, to search out some type and to race the worlds. We’ll discover out if it was value it very quickly. I really feel good, the solar is out, morale is excessive. I do not wish to look again, I wish to look ahead to the ultimate efforts of the season.”
Ganna was one of many final riders to finish his recon trip of the rolling Zurich 46.1km course. Each rider wished to see the steep mid-race descent by way of the bushes that leads in the direction of the shores of Lake Zurich. Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws described it as diving right into a black gap. Whoever has the braveness to take dangers there might achieve very important seconds.
“It is a robust course, so it’s going to be essential to tempo your trip,” Ganna defined. “The opening kilometres are flat and quick, the place the time trial specialists can carry out effectively. The climb will harm the legs and possibly the descent is a little bit harmful but it surely’s the identical for everybody.
“They’ve cleaned the strategy to the descent. Maybe it wasn’t an ideal concept to incorporate it but it surely’s the identical for everybody. I am simply glad to have disc brakes.”
Ganna may also trip the Blended Relay occasion on Wednesday however not subsequent Sunday’s highway race. He’ll race for Ineos Grenadiers in early October on the six-day Cro Race in Croatia, then finish his 2204 season on residence roads at Gran Piemonte on October 10.
He dominated out using the observe world championships in Denmark later in October.
“I will be watching from the stands with a beer in my hand…” Ganna mentioned with a smile, able to carry down the curtain on an extended and intense season that started again in Australia on the Tour Down Beneath and can embrace near 70 days of highway racing.
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