"I was able to defend my jersey, although the last climb hurt a bit" - Filippo Ganna gets a moral boost from Tour de Wallonie win

With the World Cycling Championships in Glasgow coming up, Filippo Ganna has made a name for himself again. The Italian time trial specialist managed to win the Tour de Wallonie on Wednesday after he had took cotrol in the time trial he won ahead of his two teammates Joshua Tarling and Connor Swift.

"Tomorrow I first have a long day of travel home and then I will spend a day in the wind tunnel on Friday for the last marginal gains," says the INEOS Grenadiers rider with a wink. "That is also in preparation for the Olympic Games. After that I will train on the track for another three days, where I will do my final preparations for the World Championships. I hope for the best there."

The final stage in the Tour de Wallonie was still quite tough with more than 3,200 altitude meters. "It was really fast for the first 80 kilometers, but after that the team rode a good pace and I was able to recover a bit. On the final circuit I felt really good and was able to defend my jersey, although the last climb hurt a bit," he laughs.

"I am happy to win this result. Now we can get some rest, because it was five intense days with rain. I want to thank the team for their help," said Ganna.