Filippo Ganna will make his return to the World Championships time trial after a one-year absence. In Montreal, he will once again have to battle with Remco Evenepoel.
The 2020 and 2021 world champion identifies the Belgian as the top favorite. “Without a doubt,” he said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Recent history proves it. The last time I beat him in a time trial was at the 2023 Vuelta. That was three years ago,” said Ganna, who was bested by Evenepoel at the 2023 and 2024 World Championships. He skipped last year’s edition due to the challenging course.
Yet Ganna hasn’t entirely given up hope of a third world title against the clock.
“The route in Montréal is largely flat, with 220 meters of elevation gain over 39.2 kilometers, though the road does rise a bit towards the end,” said Ganna. “Under those conditions, I could certainly come close.”
Ganna prepared for the World Championships in Livigno, where Evenepoel was also staying. However, the two did not meet.
“Sometimes I’d see him heading out for training from my window. We weren’t staying in the same hotel; I think his was much more expensive,” the time trialist laughed.
The rivalry between Ganna and Evenepoel began back in 2019, when the two took silver and bronze, respectively, at the World Championships in Yorkshire behind an unstoppable Rohan Dennis.
“I think it’s a great rivalry. There is mutual respect. Neither of us tries to put the other down. We are two different athletes with different characteristics, but we are both strong in the time trial,” he said of Evenepoel.