An Italian arrow flying along the seafront in Lido di Camaiore. Filippo Ganna claimed the opening time trial of the Tirreno Adriatico for the fourth time in his career, once again confirming his strong affinity with this course and, more broadly, with the Race of the Two Seas. With this victory, the rider from Piedmont secured the Maglia Azzurra as leader of the general classification once again, wearing it for the 12th time in his career. Only Roger De Vlaeminck, with 15, has collected more, but Ganna could now aim to match — and perhaps surpass — that mark already in this edition.
This time, the two-time world champion in the discipline went even further. With an average speed of 56.8 km/h, he set the fastest time trial ever recorded at the Tirreno Adriatico, breaking a record he already held from the 2020 time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto (56.6 km/h). It was also a memorable day for Ineos Grenadiers: second place went to Thymen Arensman, 22 seconds behind his teammate, while Magnus Sheffield finished fourth at 26 seconds. In between them, in third place, was Max Walscheid (Lidl–Trek), who edged Sheffield by a few thousandths of a second.
After the finish in Camaiore, Ganna said: “It’s true that I want to arrive at Milano-Sanremo ready and fresh, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up the Maglia Azzurra. On the contrary, I’ll try to keep it for as long as possible”. Without a long summit finish on the route, the Ganna could indeed defend himself well, especially considering that last year he finished second overall in an edition that included the demanding summit finish at Frontignano. If things were to go differently, Ineos could still rely on Arensman and Sheffield, who both look capable of fighting for a strong overall result.
Among the GC contenders, solid rides also came from Primož Roglič (Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe), 31 seconds down, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), at 33 seconds, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates–XRG), at 36 seconds, and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe), at 37 seconds.
They were followed by Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) at 44 seconds, while Jai Hindley (Red Bull–Bora–hansgrohe) and Ben Healy (EF Education–EasyPost) both conceded 49 seconds. Larger gaps came for Giulio Ciccone (Lidl–Trek) at 54 seconds, Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) at 55 seconds, Richard Carapaz (EF Education–EasyPost) at 1’16”, and Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto–Intermarché) at 1’39”.
Tomorrow’s stage, from Camaiore to San Gimignano over 206 km, will introduce the first gravel sectors. In the finale, a 5.3 km sector, including uphill stretches, is expected to spark attacks and provide plenty of action.
