“To miss out by one second means I’ve already done better than the last time, so I’m happy" - Filippo Ganna upbeat despite near miss on Tirreno-Adriatico ITT

In just his second individual time-trial of the campaign, Filippo Ganna had to concede defeat to Juan Ayuso by just a single second on the opening stage of Tirreno-Adriatico 2024.

“To miss out by one second means I’ve already done better than the last time, so I’m happy,” the Italian national champion reflected in his post-stage interview. “Now we have to keep working and hope we can get back to winning. Compared to Algarve, where I wasn’t able to maintain it, I’m happy with my sensations."

Despite the optimism, Ganna is well aware of the challenges the coming week will post for both himself and the INEOS Grenadiers team. “It’s going to be a difficult week here," he admits honestly. "We’ve seen the level of our rivals. We’ll go day by day and see.”

“When you’re not performing the way you want, knowing your abilities, it’s difficult. It can be a bit wearying and stressful, but you have to stay focused on your goals. I don’t want to speed up or slow down the process," Ganna concludes, self-critical about his own form. "If certain victories don’t come, we’ll just have to stay calm and hope that the more important victories will arrive later. But we’ll draw the conclusions later. We’re not machines where you just turn a screw to increase the engine displacement.”