The World Champion wins the opening time trial, just like in 2020
Italy’s Filippo Ganna won the inaugural time trial of the Giro d’Italia for the second year in a row as he outclassed his compatriot Edoardo Affini by ten seconds on the pan flat 8.6km course in Turin. The world champion reached an average speed of 58.748km/h. He’ll wear the Maglia Rosa on Stage 2, held entirely on his home soil in the Piedmont region.
João Almeida (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) finished in 4th at 17″, Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) at 19’’, Simon Yates (Team Bikeexchange) at 38’’, Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) at 39’’, and Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) at 41″.
STAGE RESULTS
1 – Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) – 8.6 km in 08’47″52, average speed 58.748 km/h
2 – Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) at 10″
3 – Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma) at 13″
4 – João Almeida (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) at 17″
5 – Rémi Cavagna (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) at 18″
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)
2 – Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) at 10″
3 – Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma) at 13″
4 – João Almeida (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) at 17″
5 – Rémi Cavagna (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) at 18″
JERSEYS
Maglia Rosa (pink), general classification leader, sponsored by Enel – Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)
Maglia Ciclamino (cyclamen), sprinter classification leader, sponsored by Segafredo Zanetti – Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), to be worn by Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma)
Maglia Azzurra (blue), King of the Mountains classification leader, sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Not assigned today
Maglia Bianca (white), young rider general classification leader, sponsored by Intimissimi Uomo – Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), to be worn by Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma)
Third fastest individual time trial at the Giro d’Italia with an average speed of 58.748km/h, behind Rik Verbrugghe (58.874km/h in Pescara in 2001) and Filippo Ganna himself (58.831km/h in Palermo in 2020).
Ganna is the first athlete to win the opening stage in two consecutive Giro d’Italia since Francesco Moser in 1984-1985.
Three u25 riders (Ganna, 24, Affini, 24, Foss, 23) in the top 3 of a time trial, this has happened only once before at the Giro d’Italia with Ganna, 24, Almeida, 22, and Bjerg, 21, in the opening stage in Palermo in 2020.
Speaking in the press conference, the stage winner and Maglia Rosa Filippo Ganna said: “It’s never easy to bounce back as a winner. There were some polemics – some said I wasn’t going to be competitive. If I hadn’t have worked in the gym and on the track before the Tour of Romandie, I might have won the ITT there but it’s not possible to always win in a season that includes 60 to 70 days of racing with big goals like targeting the gold medal at the Olympics Games in the ITT and the team pursuit. The Maglia Rosa looks to me even pinker this year than last year. It was a victory I wanted more and this will boost my morale ahead of the 20 stages in which the great captains we have for the GC will be the priority.”
