"G said ‘Get me to 3 kilometres to go, then you can do what you want’" - Filippo Ganna impresses after late decision to sprint at the Vuelta a Espana

Filippo Ganna has long been regarded as one of the greatest time-trialists in the peloton. On stage 5 at the Vuelta a Espana however, the Italian star tried his hand at sprinting and came agonisingly close to denying Kaden Groves a stage win.

"G said ‘Get me to 3 kilometres to go, then you can do what you want'," Ganna reveals in his post-stage interview with the official social media channels of the INEOS Grenadiers. “Because of that crash on the roundabout, with three kilometres to go, I lost a lot of positions. I gave a lot of energy there to have to come back."

Incredibly powerful, that lack of ideal positioning made little difference to the Italian, as he powered from distance to take a close second behind the dominant sprinter at the 2023 Vuelta a Espana. "He is one of the best here, but there are still many stages to come and we will try again," Ganna says of the Australian sprint star.

“Geraint Thomas supports me very much, also in the weeks leading up to this race," he concludes, praising his team leader. "The Vuelta is also a big goal for him and we hope he can help the team with a good result."