Filippo Ganna says Paris-Roubaix isn't cycling: "It's a mix between hurting yourself and suffering a lot!"
Cycling
Filippo Ganna is a rider heading into 2025 with real determination. After a bit of a quieter year by his own high standards in 2024, the Italian powerhouse of the INEOS Grenadiers has announced three main goals for the coming year: Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France.
"The only thing in common between Sanremo, Roubaix and Tour is that I have never won them, not even a stage, absolutely nothing," Ganna admits with a rueful smile in quotes collected by Bici.Pro. "So on this I am a bit behind and I hope that 2025 will be the right year to put the right checkmarks next to these three names"
A lot of riders seem to be focusing on Milano-Sanremo in 2025, among them Tadej Pogacar. That's not to say Ganna is completely without a chance though. "We're already working. We're trying to increase the workload, doing a few more hours. We're here in Gran Canaria with Leonardo Basso also for this, doing hours, doing endurance work to fill the gap and arrive fresh under the Capi," he explains. "And from there, then be able to be competitive like in previous years on the Poggio and then see what can be done once we arrive in the sprint."
As for one of his other goals though, Ganna is honest about his love-hate relationship with Paris-Roubaix, a race he finished 6th at in 2023. "Roubaix is one of those different sports, it's not cycling in my opinion. It's a mix between hurting yourself and suffering a lot, but cycling is something else," the Italian assesses. "However, it is in the hearts of many athletes, many professionals, many former riders and new ones who will come. It's a wild race, as you say, and it needs attention to detail to get to the best. Then you find Sonny Colbrelli who did everything his own way and managed to win the first time he showed up. However, in a race, whether it's a classic or any race, the instinctive part always comes out. So you have to be cold and calculating, but other times you have to follow your instinct."
In the summer though, it's full focus on the Tour de France for Ganna as he looks to complete his set of Grand Tour stage victories. "The goal in the meantime is to get there in shape, motivated, with legs ready to work hard," he concludes. "Once we are in France, we will think about how to act day by day. The time trials are certainly difficult. Let's see what there will be for me."
love ganna, always has a big smile on his face. would love to see him notch some big wins. MSR and Roubaix really are both kinda freak shows, never really know who’s going to take them. the strongest rider basically always wins a race like Flanders, but MSR is often about timing and Roubaix can have a lot to do with just luck. i don’t think ganna would ever be the per se “strongest” at either, not with pog, mathieu, wout and maybe mads around, but things could break right for a big engine like him in either or both.
He’s funny, Paris-Roubaix should be just his thing, just like the hurt and suffering of an hour record but longer ;-) Honestly, having achieved that I expected him to already have a few more prizes, maybe he’s not got that racing attitude, better at riding against himself?
yeah, exactly, i think he’s still more of a track racer by nature. his TT performances were off a bit last year, too, though. dunno. as far as the pain and suffering of Roubaix goes, i get the distinct impression it’s NOT the kind you get pushing your VO2max and feeling lactic acid building up in your muscles. more like the kind you get when 25 Marines stick bars of soap in their socks then beat the living crap out of every square inch of your body while you lay helpless in your bunk, or on your bike…
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