"He has matured and is now a true leader" - Filippo Ganna's coach believes it is possible to win a monument

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...."