"Compared to him, I am a goat on a bike" - Filippo Ganna puts Mathieu van der Poel at the forefront of Paris-Roubaix contenders

INEOS Grenadiers is starting Paris-Roubaix with a strong lineup including Joshua Tarling, Ben Turner, and in the lead Filippo Ganna. The Italian heavyweight is highly regarded following the form he's shown in his most recent racing appearances, in a race where the raw watts and ability to sustain them for a long time matters quite a lot.

"I have been climbing [in form], though. My most important test is climbing. If I feel that my legs feel good and I can pedal well... then I'm ready," Ganna said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. "On the other hand, if I'm constantly chasing and never find the right pedaling technique, then the alarm bells start ringing. Like before Sanremo".

There, Ganna wasn' able to repeat his achievements of the previous year, but his form came in just in time. Whilst the British team didn't get a result from it, his working chasing down Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel at Middelkerke - Wevelgem was an excellent indicator of form; whilst at Dwars door Vlaanderen his victory left no doubts on whether he had his best form or not.

Ganna purposefully skipped the Tour of Flanders, not believing that the race would allow him to go for a win in a field including Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, in a race that is now almost solely decided on the climbs. Most likely, the right decision, and he may perhaps enter Roubaix a tad fresher than his direct rivals - whilst at the same time, pushing the pressure towards them.

"We saw it in Flanders: Pogacar, Van der Poel, Van Aert, Pedersen... They showed more, and it is up to them to drop me, to make me suffer. My task is clear: stay with them, maybe pass them, or beat them in a sprint. I don't put any pressure on myself". Mind games from the Italian?

However Roubaix is about much more than having good form. Mechanicals before the Trouée d'Arenberg meant he ended up chasing the entire part of the race, which fully blew up very early on. He finished 13th on the day: "I fought until the end. And I showed that I am mentally strong. I already knew that: an hour record, all those time trials... But in that context, it was different; I overcame bad luck and many external factors I haven't found love yet, and I never will. I would like to talk to someone who actually has done that. It is difficult to explain: it is a suffering that, from a sporting perspective, can become true torture".

And aside from form and positioning, he still has to deal with rivals whose bike handling skills are at a level that Ganna can only dream of - key when the riders go through dozens of cobbled sectors, and plenty battles for positioning throughout the entire race.

"He can find that ten centimeters of space on the side of the road without cobblestones, he can maintain his balance and ride straight through it... He is more agile, smarter, so it is easier. Compared to him, I am a goat on a bike," Ganna jokes. "And if I do something like that, I end up in the ditch". Hence, it becomes difficult to see how the INEOS rider would take the win, but he is one of the few who can aim for it realistically.

Ganna believes that anticipating is a tactic he could use, but its unlikely to be the case taking into consideration how early the recent races have begun being discussed amongst the big favourites. "But if they start again a hundred kilometers further on, what am I supposed to do then? Move to Compiègne?"