"I was the only big guy - Remco is maybe 60-70 kilos" – Filippo Ganna cites wind as key factor in European Championship time trial defeat to Evenepoel
Cycling
Filippo Ganna was quick to acknowledge the brilliance of Remco Evenepoel after finishing runner-up in the men’s elite time trial at the 2025 European Championships, but the Italian was left reflecting on the role of the wind in shaping the race.
Evenepoel added yet another accolade to his glittering record, storming to the European crown to sit alongside his World, Belgian and Olympic titles, stopping the clock in 28:26 over the 24.4km course. Ganna, a former time trial World Champion himself, trailed by 43 seconds in second place, with Denmark’s Niklas Larsen, a somewhat surprising name, completing the podium at +1:08.
Speaking afterwards to Cycling Pro Net, Ganna admitted he struggled to deal with the conditions compared to his lighter rival. “For sure, the wind didn’t help me,” he explained. “If you look at the big guys, I was the only one up at the front. The others weren’t really in the best position. I think Remco was maybe 60–70 kilos, so today the CDA [aerodynamic drag] was more important than usual.”
Evenepoel untouchable again
The Belgian once again proved himself untouchable against the clock. Starting his effort at a furious pace, Evenepoel went 14 seconds faster than Ganna through the first checkpoint, and within 15 minutes had already caught and passed Stefan Küng, underlining his dominance even without working race radio.
By the second intermediate split, his advantage was unassailable. While Ganna briefly lifted Italian hopes with the fastest time at the finish to depose Larsen from the hot seat, Evenepoel was still in a class of his own. His margin of 43 seconds over Ganna only confirmed his status as the rider to beat in every major time trial.
Ganna looks ahead
The Italian was pragmatic in defeat, offering congratulations to Evenepoel while pointing to his own recovery from recent racing. “For sure I recovered well after the Vuelta, but he did also. After six and a half hours and 6,000 metres of climbing, he managed a good recovery. So congrats to him. We’ll see tomorrow in the mixed relay.”
For Ganna, the silver medal continues a consistent record at major championships, but he was left with the sense that in blustery conditions there was little he could do to counteract the Belgian’s aerodynamic efficiency. “It’s the World Champion who wins the jersey, and now also the European title. Nothing more to say,” he admitted with a shrug.
Read also
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
Loading
3 Comments