Team ready ahead of Tirreno finale

18 Mar 2019

Team ready ahead of Tirreno finale

After a relatively straightforward day for the sprinters on stage six at Tirreno-Adriatico, attention turns to Tuesday’s time trial.

The 10-kilometre seafront test is the traditional race closer, with Wout Poels in the thick of the fight for a strong finish in sixth place.
 
The Dutchman finished amid the bunch in Jesi, retaining his position, 2:39 back on leader Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott).
 
Ahead of the final day in San Benedetto del Tronto, Team Sky Sport Director Matteo Tosatto gave us the lowdown on the decisive test, which could be a good stage for Filippo Ganna.
 
The Italian told TeamSky.com: “The TT in Tirreno-Adriatico has been the same for a few years now. The parcours is very straightforward, not technical, and it’s possible that Filippo could go very well. The distance is perfect for him, at only 10km.
 
“Castro could go well too - for many years he has had a good result at San Benedetto del Tronto. Wout needs to take back 15 seconds on (Julian) Alaphilippe to make the top five. It will be very difficult, at only 10km. But it should be a good day for Castro and Filippo, and we keep our fingers crossed for Wout.”
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Filippo Ganna

Filippo Ganna

The condition is improving day by day. I’m happy with where I’m at and the team have helped me to preserve my legs during the race.
For Ganna the stage provides a great opportunity to test his road form off the back of his recent world championship success on the track.
 
The Italian confirmed: “The condition is improving day by day. I’m happy with where I’m at and the team have helped me to preserve my legs during the race. I hope I’ll arrive into the stage with better legs than I had today. I felt a bit tired at the start, but by the end, once the guys needed that help, I was able to step up and be there without a problem.
 
“It’s very different training from the track. You’re spending a lot of time on the bike, compared to the track where you ride for maximum 10 minutes full gas. On the road you ride five hours full gas! But this race has really helped me with my condition and I hope in the next few races it will only get better.
 
“Tomorrow’s course is a perfect one for me on paper. After one week of racing back on the road it is a bit of a different story for me. But we’ll stay focused on the stage, push hard and try to go as well as possible.”