Ganna doesn't fear Remco Evenepoel attempting to go for Hour Record: "If he wants to try, Grenchen is open for everyone"

Filippo Ganna has had a difficult 2022, but some of that has been resolved at the Hour Record where the Italian set a blistering new record. Although there are no new claims to go for the record, Ganna jokes that Remco Evenepoel could be the next in line to attack it.

“The plan was to finish the Tour and then immediately do the Hour Record,” Ganna told Cyclingnews. “But when I didn’t have a perfect Tour like I wanted, I said it was better just to focus on finishing it. It was better to stay calm without thinking about the Hour Record or other goals. We decided to delay the attempt.”

Ganna's second half of 2022 had a bad start with his lack of success at the Tour de France. He failed to leave a big mark at the European and World Championships, and his initial Hour Record attempt was postponed as he didn't seem to be in the right position. Dan Bigham, performance engineer for Ganna himself, rode in his place and set the new record.

However Ganna was keen on turning his dry streak around. “Before the end of the season, Fausto Pinarello had studied the bike and prepared it, and he said, ‘Can we do something or not?’ I said, ‘Ok, Fausto, I’ll try to do it.’"

Hence came the 9th of October, already at the very end of the road season, where Ganna finally rode the Hour Record and brutalized previous distances, setting in 56.792 kilometers. He's back on the track this week for the European Championships, and he recalls his time on the track: “We’re back in this velodrome where I suffered a lot, the last fifteen minutes of the Hour Record were horrible, but I’m back, and we’ll try to do something to get points for the qualification for the Olympics,”

Asked about Remco Evenepoel, if the Belgian was to try to beat Ganna's record, the Italian joked: “If he wants to try, Grenchen is open for everyone. I’m not jealous.”