It’s TT day at the #Giro ⏱️ Last night we caught up with @GannaFilippo ahead of the 31.2km test to preview stage 1️⃣4️⃣
Filippo Ganna nervous about difficulty of the Giro's final time-trial: "It goes up and down all the time"
CyclingSaturday, 18 May 2024 at 11:11
Filippo Ganna is the main favourite to win today's 14th stage at the Giro d'Italia but he is perhaps the one who is most nervous about it. The Italian rider was already beaten on the first stage against the clock by Tadej Pogacar and he fears that the small climbs on today's route may tilt the scale towards the Slovenian.
“It will be really tough. It has already been an intense Giro. We haven't had to climb too much yet, but it was already intense," Ganna said in a video shared by INEOS Grenadiers after stage 13. "There is a lot of nervousness in the peloton. Now it is time to focus on the time trial. We want to do well there.”
Yesterday Ganna was on the move, as INEOS Grenadiers looked to make the best out of a crosswind section to try and split the bunch to pieces. There was relative success, but all of Geraint Thomas' main rivals were present in the first peloton. Hence the attack was eventually called off, and Ganna was allowed to take it easy in the final kilometers and arrived within the last in the stage.
The goal was clear: Rest the legs ahead of the time-trial, which is Ganna's best and perhaps last big opportunity to win a stage at this Giro. With 31 kilometers in distance it is shorter than stage 7, however it is flatter. But the Italian warns that it is not as simple as the profile seems to indicate: “The time trial is not as easy as it seems. It goes up and down all the time."
From Castiglione delle Stiviere to Desenzano del Garda there will be a few small hilltops, but Ganna is aware that these may prove crucial in the outcome of the time-trial. "Fortunately, I have already explored it a number of times before the Giro. I will also explore it again before the time trial itself, then it will definitely be in my head. I will need the support of all supporters," he asks. In the Italian tricolore, Ganna will certainly be a fan favourite for today's stage.
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