INEOS concerned by Filippo Ganna's low performances stating "it is clearly not normal" to see him in such poor shape

Filippo Ganna lined up to the Renewi Tour on Wednesday, but was unable to follow the peloton in the sprinter's stage to Bilzen. The 28-year-old rider crossed the finish line eight minutes after the winner Jonathan Milan. Following this unsatisfying performance, Ganna did not appear on the starting podium for the individual time trial the following day.

At INEOS Grenadiers, they are a bit concerned about his physical state of readiness. "His performances in Germany were already much less than what Filippo is capable of," team manager Zakkari Dempster told Het Nieuwsblad. "He was able to recover well for two days and we let him try again here in Belgium. He did his best, but it is clearly not normal that Filippo had to let go in such a stage."

What's wrong with Ganna? "It's nothing specific," says Dempster. "He doesn't have any specific symptoms and he doesn't feel ill. It needs to be investigated further to see if he has a specific illness or something. There's just something wrong. We need to stay calm now and draw up a plan to get him back to his level before the end of the season."

The big question now is whether Ganna can still prepare himself in time for the European Championships (September 11) and/or the World Championships (September 22). "If we have signals that it is better to give him rest, then we will make that decision. But at the moment we do not have more information. He has left for Switzerland to do tests. When those are completed, we will make a decision regarding his program," says Dempster.