Ganna is located in Gran Canaria under the guidance of Leonardo Basso, looking for sun and eating up the miles (in the opening photo Ineos Grenadiers). Dario Cioni explained to us what will be the major goals of 2025, emphasizing how the season will focus on the road and three challenges which, each in its own way, represent unfinished business for the Piedmontese: la Sanremo, the Roubaix and Tour de FranceAfter the retreat in December, here is the one in the Canaries and then again in Spain to refine the work before the debut.
«The only thing in common between Sanremo, Roubaix and the Tour – says Pippo smiling – is that I've never won them, not even a single stage, absolutely nothingSo I'm a little behind on this and I hope that 2025 will be the right year to put the right checkmarks next to these three names."
They come back to memory the brazen and powerful Ganna who won the Camigliatello Silano stage at the 2020 Giro, as well as the warrior who on the Poggio He held his own against Pogacar's outbursts for two consecutive yearsA Ganna capable of having his say even outside the time trial sphere, where he has been among the world's top athletes for years. The Ganna that fans expect, that journalists urge and that perhaps he too can't wait to bring out, to underline (as he will do at the end of the interview) that Up to now his career has not been just that of a track cyclist.
Let's start with Sanremo. Over the past two years, you've shown that you can hold your accelerations on the Poggio. Are you working on endurance, climbing, or sprinting for this first race?
Let's say there's a lot of work, we're already working. We're trying to increase workloads, doing a few more hoursWe are here in Gran Canaria with Leonardo Basso also for this reason, to do hours, to do endurance work for bridge the gap and arrive fresh under the Chiefs. And from there, be able to be competitive like in previous years on the Poggio and then see what can be done once you get into the sprint.
Roubaix: two years ago, the first well-prepared assault. It's a race bordering on wild, but how important is attention to detail?
Roubaix is one of those different sports, it's not cycling in my opinion. It's a mix between hurting yourself and suffering a lot, but cycling is something else.But it is in the hearts of many athletes, many professionals, many former riders and the new ones to come. It's a wild race, as you say, and it needs attention to detail to get to the best.. Then you find Sonny (Colbrelli, ed.) who did everything his own way and managed to win the first time who introduced himself. However, in a race, whether it's a classic or any other race, the instinctive part always comes out.. So you have to be cold and calculating, but other times you have to follow your instincts.
Will we also need to work on the bike to prepare for Sanremo and Roubaix?
I believe that the two bikes will be the same. Perhaps the only things that will change for the Roubaix will be the slightly larger tires, on the 28 or 30, and also a double wrap of handlebar tape, with vibration-absorbing gel to save your arms. Then for the rest the bicycle is the same.
The Tour remains…
The goal in the meantime is to start leaving, get there fit, motivated, with legs ready to work hardOnce in France, you'll think about how to proceed day by day. Time trials are certainly difficult, the second is a time trial, so we exclude it a priori. Let's see what's next for me.
The track remains in preparation, what's different when you have to aim for road goals?
I think I've been doing track since 2017, but I also run on the road. So it's not that I run on the road to prepare the track or I run on the track to prepare the roadI try to do both things at the same time and I think I've also won stages in the Giro d'Italia, stages in the Vuelta, and stages in smaller races too. I have achieved 33 road victories, including two stage races., it doesn't seem to me that they are the balance of a rider who only runs on the track.
Like dotting the i's, if ever there was any need. The preparation continues. In Gran Canaria the weather is good and the spirits are highAustralia has already opened the dance with the national championships, soon it will be time for Tower Down UnderGanna's debut will probably take place in Europe. at the Etoile de Besseges where he won three stages between 2021 and 2022The long wait is now over.
