03 Oct 2020
Ganna takes pink in Giro opener
Related riders
Filippo Ganna
Giro d'Italia - Stage 1 (ITT) » Monreale › Palermo, 15.1km
Filippo Ganna powered into the maglia rosa as the Italian won the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia.
The new world time trial champion carried his form into his Grand Tour debut, taking victory by 22 seconds in Palermo.
The fast 15.1-kilometre course provided a tough test for the riders, with Ganna completing the test in a rapid pace of 58.831km/h. His victory also ensured he moved into the white young rider jersey.
It was also a fantastic start to the race for Geraint Thomas. The Welshman took the fourth fastest time on the day, 23 seconds back on his teammate, but crucially taking time out of all his established general classification rivals.
The wind made life difficult on the coast in Sicily, with riders having to battle the conditions. Rohan Dennis was buffeted by tough gusts on his run but was still able to finish 15th on the day.
The new world time trial champion carried his form into his Grand Tour debut, taking victory by 22 seconds in Palermo.
The fast 15.1-kilometre course provided a tough test for the riders, with Ganna completing the test in a rapid pace of 58.831km/h. His victory also ensured he moved into the white young rider jersey.
It was also a fantastic start to the race for Geraint Thomas. The Welshman took the fourth fastest time on the day, 23 seconds back on his teammate, but crucially taking time out of all his established general classification rivals.
The wind made life difficult on the coast in Sicily, with riders having to battle the conditions. Rohan Dennis was buffeted by tough gusts on his run but was still able to finish 15th on the day.
Reaction
- Filippo Ganna
"I’m really happy to win with this jersey. It’s fantastic for me and also the team. I want to say a big thank you to them for all the support.
- Filippo Ganna
"I’m really happy to win with this jersey. It’s fantastic for me and also the team. I want to say a big thank you to them for all the support.
"The important thing was to be in the pink jersey tomorrow and we took the result. I’m really happy.
"I think every jersey is special, and having this pink jersey alongside the rainbow jersey is a dream for me. I didn’t think too much about the race – that’s the secret. We talked a lot yesterday with the guys and with G, but not about the race. And today we both got this fantastic result."
- Geraint Thomas
"It was windy but I think it was quite comfortable on the bars actually. It was gusty but it felt pretty solid. That was a bonus. I think I was a bit too aggressive to start as in the last two kilometres I started losing the legs a bit, which was a shame as it was a bit more of a headwind there. But I definitely emptied the tank.
"I was steady on the corners as I’d seen a few guys had crashed. There were definitely no risks. I can still be pretty happy with how it went."
- Geraint Thomas
"It was windy but I think it was quite comfortable on the bars actually. It was gusty but it felt pretty solid. That was a bonus. I think I was a bit too aggressive to start as in the last two kilometres I started losing the legs a bit, which was a shame as it was a bit more of a headwind there. But I definitely emptied the tank.
"I was steady on the corners as I’d seen a few guys had crashed. There were definitely no risks. I can still be pretty happy with how it went."
Stage one result:
1. Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) 15:24
2. Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +22"
3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.
4. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) +23"
5. Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma) +31"
15. Rohan Dennis (INEOS Grenadiers) +48"
1. Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) 15:24
2. Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +22"
3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.
4. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) +23"
5. Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma) +31"
15. Rohan Dennis (INEOS Grenadiers) +48"
