Ganna disappointed with World Championships performance: "When I come to the other side of the world, it's not just to wear a shirt or pin a number on it"

Filippo Ganna headed to Wollongong with the hopes of defending his World time-trial title but he failed to do so, landing far from the podium even as he rolled to a seventh place on the day.

"When I come to the other side of the world, it's not just to wear a shirt or pin a number on it, but because I have goals. Unfortunately, my legs didn't turn the way I wanted. When I got up this morning, I didn't feel good," Ganna shared in a post-race interview. His season has recently lacked some of the results he has shown over the last few years, but a recent win in the Deutschland Tour prologue seemed to see him back on track 

With the announcement of an Hour Record attempt into early October, the indications are that his current form is strong. However when he was on the road in an attempt to take a third consecutive title, he was far from the best on the day, finishing 56 seconds down on Tobias Foss.

“It's a shame, because the signals have been positive in recent days. I have ridden values ​​that gave hope. I'm disappointed, but that's part of racing. Everyone would have been happy if I had won, but this seventh place is the disappointment of the year. I am especially sorry to my family and friends who got up early to watch me," he concluded. Ganna will now however ride the Italian colours when riding against the clock, as he conquered the title back in June.