Filippo Ganna sympathises with Van Aert after fresh heartbreak: “Wout was outstanding”

For a long time, it actually looked as though Ganna would not feature in the finale at all. He was left standing at the roadside multiple times with mechanical problems. “It was an impressive effort,” Ganna said afterwards in his flash interview. “I had a bit of bad luck all day. In the first part, after the first climb, I broke my front wheel and had to change bikes, then I broke my handlebar and had to change again. I hope I used up all my bad luck today.”

With 40 kilometres to go, just as Van Aert accelerated on the Eikenberg, things went wrong for the Italian once again. But he managed to return. “Magnus was up the road, so I had to ease off a little there. In Gent I already felt good, and there I tried to help my team-mates. Today the team worked brilliantly for me, I had incredible support. I tried to give something back, and I managed that with this beautiful victory.”

The winner also had sympathy for Van Aert, who finished second and fell just short of victory in Waregem for the second year in a row. “Wout was outstanding, it was a tremendous performance,” said Ganna, who only came past the Belgian in the final 100 metres. “It’s not easy to come back on him, but my legs held on all the way to the line. It’s a great victory.”

For a long time, the gap seemed impossible to close, so when did Ganna begin to believe he could still do it? “Maybe in the final corner,” he laughed. “The group behind us came back very quickly, but I’m very happy. It’s a nice boost for the team for the races to come.” For the time trial specialist himself, it was his first victory in a one-day race outside the discipline of the clock. “It’s one of my biggest wins, especially in the university of cycling. It’s really something special.”