Filippo Ganna ended the long wait for a one-day victory earlier this month at Dwars door Vlaanderen, and with it heavily boosted the belief that he could challenge for at least the podium at Paris-Roubaix.
However, for the buoyant place that the Italian powerhouse and under-23 Paris-Roubaix champion finds himself in, he knows that watts alone won’t be enough to see off Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) or Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
The Ineos Grenadiers man lines up for his sixth Paris-Roubaix, knowing that despite his recent form, it doesn’t change the direction of the spotlight that is firmly shining on Van der Poel and Pogačar.
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Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, the 29-year-old, who was joined by teammate-turned-Director of Racing Geraint Thomas for his final reconnaissance ride over the Roubaix cobbles, said: “My job is clear, to keep up with them. Maybe I can get ahead of them or beat them in a sprint, [but] I don’t put any pressure on myself.
“It’s up to them to drop me, make me suffer,” he told the Italian newspaper, pointing at Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) following their strong De Ronde outings also.
Where Ganna worries he could come unstuck, though, is in the bike handling required to conquer the cobblestones of northern France.
The Italian described riding cobbled Classics as “a suffering that can turn into a torture” before expanding on Van der Poel’s specific advantage within the Monument.
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“Van der Poel is a master of cyclo-cross; he can find those 10 centimetres of roadside access without cobblestones, and he’s able to stay balanced and ride through them.
“Compared to him, I’m a goat on a bike,” Ganna joked, before adding that attempting to copy Van der Poel’s skills could end badly. “If I do something like that, I’ll find myself in the ditch.”
Ganna returned to Italy after his Dwars door Vlaanderen victory to train and enjoy Easter with his family. Speaking with Cyclingnews in Compiegne, Ineos sports director Ian Stannard said: “He’s been having some good training sessions at home. There’s a good atmosphere with him, and good motivation too. He’s ready to go.”
The Italian, whose best finish at the Hell of the North was sixth in 2023, arrived back in France yesterday, with hopefully “the best legs of the year” in his suitcase.
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