Rainbow jersey and world record: Ganna is untouchable and less than a week later he sets another world record. After the Hour with 56,792 kilometers, here are the 3'59”636 at an average of 60,091 over 4.000 metresBoth at sea level.
Milan only needed to realize that Pippo would use the Hour bike to understand that they only had one tactic available. Start at full speed and take advantage of the very slow start of the Bolide F HR of the companion/rival. He to Grenchen he was there and had seen what progression Ganna was capable of once he had launched the bike: the only solution was to gain an advantage and hope to maintain the margin. Even though the 3 seconds that separated them after the morning semi-final were probably the announcement of an obstacle too high to jump. With the hooligan looks of the fans, the Azzurri in the center of the track were cheering for the Piedmontese, having sensed the difficult moment.
Ganna's hard day
Indeed Ganna didn't even want to leave this morningHe was the first to tell it after the victory, speaking to the reporters who had gathered to hear his words.
«Today – he says – it was one of the most intense days I've experienced so far. This morning around 10:30 I didn't want to leave. I wanted to finish the season, go on vacation. Then my teammates arrived, they were at the edge of the track cheering me on, telling me that I should try.I have to say thank you to both of them and they believed in it and convinced me too, both to the public that was here, really warm. Because when they understood that I could do it and that I could beat him They also gave me the determination and support to succeed».
Milan gets off to a flying start
Milan led for the first four laps, then Ganna started to lower his timesIn the Swiss velodrome he said that the bike is heavy at the start, but when you launch it it seems to fly. And so inexorably his pace increased and soon Milan was sucked in.
«I was fine – says the Friulian – I didn't even change the relationshipI usually ask for it to be lighter if my leg is tired after doing the quartet and the morning race yesterday. I felt good and started with a good paceI think I was with him in the first laps. I got a good start. Then he got to the middle of the race, with nine laps to go he passed me and kept a high paceI tried to chase, but that's how it went. This morning I set my personal best, and I did well tonight too, but it wasn't enough."
Ganna's extra weapon
Consonni, leaning out from the balustrade, encouraged him the whole time, who knows if… having sensed the possibility that Ganna would break the world record. And meanwhile Ganna ground away, shaving off meters and hundredths with each lap. Without thinking that the prey on the other side was a companion, smelling it and baring his teeth to bite it.
«I started with the classic warm-up – says the champion of the Ineos Grenadiers - I listened to some heavy music thanks to my friend DJ ThomasThen I got on the track. The false start might have thrown me off balance, but I stayed calm, breathed, and then rode like I know how. That bike is very different from the others. Let's just hope that in two years Pinarello finds a way to make it start a little easierIt's difficult to launch in the first lap, it's heavy, but once it gets going it's a real rocket. The engineers have truly managed to do something extraordinary.. Furthermore, judging by the times he showed, the velodrome proved to be fast."
Milan disappointed
Milan has a negative opinion on Ganna a disproportionate respect, having entered the quartet of which Pippo was already the leader at a very young age. And even if his contribution was decisive in winning the Olympics, Jonathan is often one step behind.
«I'm a little disappointed – he admits – I can't say no. I really cared about this World Cup, I wanted to finish the season with a rainbow jersey, but I have to look at everything, the past days… I made the quartet, I made my personal best, I'm happyMaybe I imagined Pippo to be a little more tired – he smiles – but it was the sensations, what you feel during the race. We didn't talk much about how we were doing.Between one race and another we thought about recovering, eating and getting massages."
Ganna's compliments
And while Ganna enjoys his rest and questions, the anomaly of this blue clash is slowly emerging, although it is clear from his words that the race is a race.
«The goal was to win the medal – says Ganna – if I could set the record it would be even better. It was an excellent individual and team result., because on the track there wasn't just me, but all the guys who supported me. And an opponent, Johnny, even if Before the start we said to each other: "Race to the end and whoever is the strongest will win."I have a lot of respect for him, he's young and I'm sure that in two years he will be one of the key players for the quartet. We are teammates and this shows that we are truly at the highest levels.I hope I can convey to him all the beauty I can, then it's up to him to accept it or not. I knew he would go very strong and I had to improve in the first kilometer, where he is much stronger than meI was mentally ready to fight, but I think we'll have a few beers together tonight."
Last word at Villa
The moral is up to the city Villa, to the third gold in two days, after those of Martina Fidanza and the girls' quartet.
“Unforgettable is the right word,” he says. “I’m very happy. We close out an incredible week, which began with the Hour record and ended with another 4.000-meter record.I'm happy for Pippo and sorry for Jonathan, who, let's not forget, finished in 4.03", at 22 years old. The future is his. He started strong, and it's no coincidence that we're also entrusting him with the starts in the quartet, but Pippo, with his experience and the work he has done over the years, has been able to recoverI remember that to do that he had to break the world record."
