Home > News

Filippo Ganna is first Italian elite men’s time trial world champion

Wout Van Aert with strong silver performance

September 25, 2020
Share on SMS

Filippo Ganna delighted the sparse number of fans in Imola, Italy by becoming the first Italian to wear the time trial rainbow jersey on Friday. Wout Van Aert was the silver medalist. Switzerland grabbed its second medal in the first two days, with bronze for Stefan Küng.

The Course

Like the elite women on Thursday, the elite men faced a slightly undulating route of 31.7 km with a headwind on the way out, a tailwind on the way back and a finish on the Imola auto racing track.

Canada’s Alex Cataford was the third to start. Hugo Houle, the Tour de France only days behind him, decided not to race the time trial, but instead to get two extra days of rest before tackling Sunday’s road race alongside Michael Woods. Cataford’s 39:43.41 put him 10th after 16 riders; he finished 41st.

An early leader was Italian Edoardo Affini, off to Jumbo-Visma from Mitchelton-Scott in 2021, who posted 37:25.62 at 46.779 km/h.

Brit Alex Dowsett wore a comically huge POC helmet.

Hey, Alex, why didn’t you get the big one?

Geraint Thomas clipped Affini’s time by 54 seconds. Tom Dumoulin was 10-seconds slower at the first intermediate split, but Thomas’s Ineos teammate Filippo Ganna, bronze medalist last year, was 35-seconds faster.

Wout Van Aert clipped Thomas’s time by three seconds. Out on the course Ganna was actually catching Dumoulin, who struggled to keep the bike upright in the wind.

Ganna stopped the clock at Küng 35:54.10, 26 seconds faster than Wout Van Aert.

Ineos had three riders in the top-5.

The World Championships continue on Saturday with the elite women’s road race.

2020 UCI Road World Championships Elite Men Time Trial
Gold) Filippo Ganna (Italy) 35:54.10
Silver) Wout Van Aert (Belgium) +26.72
Bronze) Stefan Küng (Switzerland) +29.80
41) Alex Cataford (Canada) +3:49