Together with the other Ganna in Goofy's world

At Ganna's house they know a thing or two about the Olympics. Marco went canoeing in Los Angeles in 1984, his son Filippo followed in his footsteps by speeding this summer in the Izu velodrome with Lamon, Consonni and Milan until thegold in the team pursuit. That was one of the many gems between the Giro d'Italia, the European Championships and the World Championships that made it possible for The twenty-five-year-old from Vignone was chosen as Athlete of the Year 2021 by the jury of Piedmontese journalists from the Ussi Subalpina, a group named after the legendary Ruggero Radice (a historic cycling writer). He was joined by swimmers Alessandro Miressi and Carlotta Gilli, who also played a leading role in Tokyo. Speaking of cycling, two men from Cuneo also received special recognition on the occasion:rainbow Elisa Balsam and Diego Colombari (gold in the handbike relay at the Japanese Paralympics).

Top Ganna is already though set off again towards the new season between track and road and so the father came to Turin to collect the award, complete with designer mask. Ineos Grenadiers Before posing with yet another award for the Italian ace, he told us about him.

How does it feel to accept an award instead of your child?

It's always a pleasure to collect awards for Filippo, just as I know he would be happy to be here enjoying iti. At this time of year, however, he is always busy and, after a very short break, he has already started again. Unfortunately, sport is changing in this direction and also the breaks between seasons are getting shorter and shorter.

Have you seen him more tired?

We met little at home, but He didn't seem particularly tired to me, also because he was still in good condition and that was also seen at the World Championships in Roubaix. Maybe he was more tired in the head, especially due to the pressure received in recent months.

Maybe that was also the reason for his pre-World Cup outburst?

It wasn't a vent, but I'd say more of a “reminder”, if we consider that after the Olympics he continued to train on the road. Then, he did the European Championship where they won with the team, but him did second in the individual time trial and then he received criticism for missing success by a few seconds. As if that wasn't enough, he went to the World Cup win in Belgium at the home of two of the greatest protagonists currently in cycling, then they had a great race in the relay. We've now reached the point where, According to Italians, every time he starts a race, he has to win it, everything seems obvious.In Tokyo, many spoke of a debacle for the 5th place in the road time trial but, leaving Roglic aside, there were 4 riders within 4 and a half seconds and he was at less than 2″ from bronze.

How much does all this weigh on him?

To Philip actually not that much, because he is very good at working on the mental aspectHe does it alone, without the help of a mental coach like other athletes, he doesn't feel the need. He is able to isolate himself from the rest of the world and concentrates without being distracted by anything.He found this way to train at altitude: he goes up to Macugnaga to a refuge where there is practically nothing, not even wifi. He, tOnce training is finished, he takes the cable car, goes up to 3.000 meters and stays there peacefully until the next day.. He rests and recovers: it's tough, because some cyclists, whose names I won't mention, They went for two days and then came down because they couldn't stand being isolated from the world anymore.He can stay there for a week or ten days, without any problems. He comes down and trains on his home roads because Macugnaga isn't far from us. That's how he regenerates.

When he was little, did you expect to see him as the beacon of Italian cycling?

I'm telling the truth, I have never forced my children to do sports.I just told him to play sports because it was good for him. Filippo played volleyball, a little basketball, and swam like Carlotta, then he developed a passion for cycling. Neither of us, however, had ever tried canoeing like me. 

Did you cycle when you were young?

I did it on an amateur level. I used to go out, then when Filippo started, I stopped.But now I've started again.

Do you ever go out cycling with him?

I went out twice and I basically did it behind the motorcycleI'd say that's enough, because even when it goes slowly, it's a rocket.

Being a former athlete, did that impress you?

He has a nice engine, but we already knew that when he was young. I wasn't into cycling and didn't know many of the rules of the sport, but I always told him: "You go out, pedal, get some fresh air in your face, and then something comes along.". Actually, I'd say that was the case and he learned well.

Where can it go now?

Let's say he's already done a lot of things. In my opinion, in a few years he could become a classics rider, without distorting his way of running.Many insist that he should aim for the Grand Tours: of course, if they did a 60 or 70 kilometre time trial, then we could talk about it again. However, he has his goals in mind and has achieved them all so far., now we'll see in the next few years. 

Do you like the following it has?

Especially that of kids. We receive many requests from young cyclists who want to do sports and, thanks to his exploits, they joined our world. 

One of the most frequently asked questions is about the Hour Record: what do you think?

We talked about it. We've been brainstorming with his coaches., we'll see what happens.At home we talk about everything, but not always cycling. If Filippo needs advice, I'll gladly give it to him, but for the rest he knows how to manage himself because he's grown up now..