Filippo Ganna, at 85 kilos and finishing outside the top 100 almost every day, raised eyebrows with surprise time trial win

Ganna was the clear frontrunner for the original 27.2-kilometer time trial, but once 15 kilometers were cut from the route on Wednesday evening, that was no longer so certain. “We scouted the course this morning. The news last night that the route had changed was a bit strange. We just tried to do our best today,” said Ganna right after his time trial.

The Italian champion completed the 12.2 kilometers around Valladolid in just 13 minutes, which put him in the hot seat very early. “The first part had a lot of corners, so I tried to ride it aggressively, but of course I also had to be careful not to take too many risks. In the second part, I really tried to push hard,” he analyzed his performance.

Other than a fifth place in the team time trial, Ganna had finished near the back of the pack in nearly every other stage of this Vuelta. But the Italian knew his legs were good. “In the second part I didn’t look much at the numbers. I followed my feeling. Sometimes the watts are just a number. I think in the end, your own decision on the bike can lead to a better outcome.”

Ganna explained after the time trial that he started the Vuelta feeling a bit unwell, after having to abandon the Tour de France on stage 1 due to a crash. “I suffered a lot during the first week. In the stage to Andorra and the day after that, I had a lot of pain in my legs,” he admitted. Ganna had to claw his way back. “Day by day, with the support of the team and also my family, I got through it.”

Ganna had to wait 2.5 hours for confirmation of his win. That is the downside of being ranked so low in the GC. Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) kept it tense but ultimately came up one second short. “I suffered more during those hours in the hot seat than I did on the bike,” Ganna joked in the flash interview.

He repeated that the first part of the route was tricky, trying to find rhythm. So in the second half, he stopped thinking and just hammered to the finish. “I’m really happy with this win. The third week has started well for us,” he said, referring to teammate Egan Bernal’s stage victory on day 16. “And there are still stages coming that should suit us.”

Could Ganna play a role in those as well? “Two weeks ago, with all the altitude meters in this Vuelta and my 85 kilos, I was struggling. But now I’m in good shape. We’re going to have fun these next three days.”