Ganna praises Arensman after unprecedented time trial win: “Great performance this winter”

Filippo Ganna was the clear favorite, but in professional cycling, being favored isn’t enough — you have to deliver. On Tuesday, Ganna did just that in the Giro d’Italia time trial, crushing the competition with nearly a two-minute gap over second-placed Thymen Arensman. While there was naturally plenty of joy after the ride, Ganna was already looking ahead: what can we expect from him on Friday?

Starting early in the day, Ganna set an average speed of 54.9 km/h, making it clear to all the riders following that the benchmark was daunting. No one came close to matching that explosive performance, and Ganna secured the time trial victory — a major goal he had set for himself.

“I think we delivered a great performance this winter,” the Italian said in the flash interview. “Especially regarding the general classification. We saw Thymen (Arensman) do an amazing job with his second place, just like in Tirreno. It was a great team effort.”

With this win, Ganna now has his eighth stage victory in the Giro, seven of which have been time trials. “It’s really a beautiful win for us. We hope to enjoy a bit tonight but will also stay focused for the next 14 days,” he added, already looking ahead.

For a specialist like Ganna, a completely flat time trial was ideal. “It’s really great, especially with a long time trial like this. I really enjoyed it. Maybe I pushed a bit to the limit, like many other riders. I’m very happy to finally find a beautiful time trial for myself, without a climb.”

And now? The race resumes Friday in Verbania, Ganna’s birthplace. “From today, a new Giro begins. I wanted to arrive here a bit fresh for this major goal. Now we try to get another win in a road stage. Why not give it a try on Friday?” he concluded.