"We made it a nice race for the audience in Madrid" - No regrets for Filippo Ganna who finishes 2nd on La Vuelta stage 21

For the third time at the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, Filippo Ganna finished second in a bunch sprint. The route finishing runner-up on stage 21 in Madrid however was totally different.

After riding clear in a breakaway alongside Remco Evenepoel, Filippo Ganna, Rui Costa, Nico Denz and Lennard Kamna there initially looked like being little chance of victory. Given the quality of the six-riders though, anything was possible and they gave their all with Groves, Ganna and Denz actually managing to be the first three across the line.

“It was a very intense day,” Ganna told Eurosport in a post-stage interview. “I think we also made it a nice race for the audience in Madrid."

At one point during the race Ganna was in conversation with Evenepoel and he also revealed what was said. “I said: we can try. Maybe in jest, but in the end he took it seriously," Ganna explains. “Unfortunately I didn't get a win. That would have been even better. But it is what it is."