"He has matured and is now a true leader" - Filippo Ganna's coach believes it is possible to win a monument
Cycling
Filippo Ganna is for many years one of cycling's best and this does not only apply to the time-trials. However, the form he has shown over the past month has been extraordinary and the INEOS Grenadiers is going into the cobbled monuments with great motivation and realistic hopes of finishing on the podiums or even taking a win.
"Filippo is very versatile, and when he is at his best, he can deliver great performances in a series of very variable efforts," his coach Dario Cioni said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
"In the winter, he worked much more consistently than in 2023-2024 because he did not have the seasonal ailments that had held him back the year before. Then, we are talking about objectives. In 2024, he did everything he could to go to the Olympic Games at the end of July/beginning of August, so he sacrificed a little during the first few months of competition."
Ganna this year seemed to struggle in February, but once he arrived at Tirreno-Adriatico the tables turned completely. At Tirreno-Adriatico he finished second in the overall classification, delivering a massive victory in the time-trial, flying up the hilly terrain and then surviving impressively in the queen stage. It was no surprise then to see that he was the man to match Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar at Milano-Sanremo.
"This time, it was decided to focus strongly on Sanremo and Roubaix. He has matured and is now a true leader in certain one-day races." The Italian has certainly grown, and despite being a heavyweight rider, he can ride up the short or non-steep climbs like few others. This led him to then join Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen on the podium of the E3 Saxo Classic, after being the only rider to match them up the cobbled Taaienberg.
Because of such impressive results, he added the Tour of Flanders to his schedule, and Paris-Roubaix will be an even more realistic goal for a rider of his stature. "That is our goal, and we are all working towards the same goal. In Harelbeke, I saw Van der Poel up close for the first time in a Belgian classic. Simply impressive...."
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- That may be but that is unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
- "was a headliner at the Tour de France" Nobody cared about Piddie. Only rivals that were there for Pogi, Jonas, Remco, Sexias, Lipo, Del Toro and they were all expected to lose. Piddie was not even in any conversation.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
- More to the point, it isn't his remaining goal.Renz08-11-2026
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment