SARCHE – A sticky and annoying heat like the one who had annihilated him in Faenza, relegating him in fourth place behind Sobrero, Affini and Cattaneo. When Ganna went for a ride on the Italian time trial route yesterday, she sent a message to Sobrero himself, writing that she would be thin.
«And when we say that she is thin – Pippo smiles reassuredly in the press room, created in the cool of the Toblino winery it means that there really isn't any, that everything is going badly. And he reminded me that in 2018 he had already played in an Italian championship as an under 23, finishing second behind Affini (the race started and finished in Cavedine, ed.). I knew I'd really struggle in the first part to avoid losing and stay close to them. In the central part I could have made the difference, but in this heat it's never easyYou have to do almost like at high altitude, which means you have to lower the values a lot. But everything went well, we managed to bring home this great result. It's nice to be back."
The bitterness of the Giro
As the arrivals followed one another, we realized that albeit short, the time trial really put them to the testThey arrived at the end of the straight and went off the track. to allow the heart to restart beating and not stop too abruptly.
«Up to this point – says Ganna – it has been a season between ups and downs. It feels like I'm starting on the track: I start and I stop: I start and I stop… Let's hope we get started now and move forward, otherwise the situation will become critical. The Giro gave me the final blow, having to retire was the biggest blowI set out with the desire to finish it with a team that was well represented and showed that it could compete until the final stage.
«Coming home left me with a knot in my stomach, but unfortunately the ability to get back into the game is part of sport and the athlete. Knowing how to find the motivation to keep going when things aren't going as planned. And this time I started again at high altitude together with Matteo Sobrero and Elia VivianiWe did a good block of work together, we had some great times in Livigno, trying to reset our brains to start again."
A curse to be dispelled
After Livigno there was the Tour de l'Occitanie. Cioni says that the original program included the Tour of Switzerland, but a couple of days earlier Ganna had some stomach problems and so the team diverted him to the French race. Since there was no time trial, they first asked him to make himself available to his teammates. And then in the last stage they allowed him to break away, to try to win and fifth place was achieved.
“We did everything we had to,” Ganna nods, “in anticipation of these days. Maybe in my head, Italian is one of the appointments that I suffer the most., because every year it's always hot and you really suffer. It's the return to racing after a long break, but this time we managed to dispel this myth too. I stood by my values and did what I trained for.. So now it's better to think about recovering, because there are others on Saturday 200+ kilometers to face».
Freshness and world-wide
According to Viviani, who trained with him in Livigno and will accompany him on Saturday in the road race, Ganna was motivated for the time trial, but also for the road raceUntil yesterday, Pippo would have also indicated Zana among the favorites, but the Venetian's exit opens up other scenarios.
“Unlike other years,” he smiles as he sips the granita his masseur brought him, “I did some work blocks, but I also did a lot of rest blocks. Perhaps the winning weapon is to be able to arrive fresh, not finished: both mentally and physically.It's something we always laugh about with the masseur Baffi. Could not finishing the Giro and going through Occitania give me an advantage as I approach the World Championships? Let's see and cross our fingers, because I would certainly like to get that shirt back.».
The time trial club
Affini knew he was tired: he had said so on the eve of the race and he proved it with his seventh place. Instead Cattaneo and Sobrero, who came out strong in the Tour of Switzerland, put him to the test. It's as if the time trial men formed a family within the large family of the groupAnd if Sobrero is notoriously his… brother-in-law, hearing that Cattaneo called it an honor to have finished second to him makes him smile.
«Last year Mattia and I competed in the European Championship together – he smiles – We shared a room and had a great time. We watched movies, we laughed. He's a great guy. This year, during the first stages of the Giro, before he had to retire too, he was saying: "Wow, last year we did the Tour and we never managed to talk in the group. Here, at least every now and then, we manage to exchange a few words." It's nice to be able to find moments of lightness even during the race., when you are calm. And maybe It helps you bond more with people».
Three against all
It will be good to have good friends on Saturday. Riders who compete in foreign teams know they are surrounded by many Italians, who for this one time this year play with numerical superiority.
«The problem on Saturday – admits Ganna – is also the number of riders. We are three against teams that maybe have 12, so it won't be easyWe'll try to stay passive, then if we have the energy, maybe we'll try to do something towards the end. Obviously, we can't dictate the rules of the race, so I expect a strong start, because there will be many teams that will want to have the riders in the breakaway so as not to have to pull. So now it's time to recover. It's fun to be in the same hotel with groups of kids who come asking for photos, It's nice to think that you can give a dream as a gift. If a bottle of good Trento DOC were to arrive, we would have plenty to toast with this evening..." Once the bottle has been delivered, the toast will certainly have its provenance verified.
