It runs tomorrow, Sunday. 43 km time trial . Smooth kilometers from Knokke-Heist to 't Zand, sharpened in the wind of Flanders. Reigning world champion Filippo Ganna ran nine individual time trials in 2021 and won four. He was beaten for 11 seconds by the Belgian Van Aert on March 16 in San Benedetto (10 km), in the Tirreno-Adriatico; for 37 seconds by the French Cavagna in Friborg (16 km) on 2 May in the Tour of Romandie; by Matteo Sobrero of 53 seconds in the Italian championship on June 18; by the Slovenian Roglic for 1'06 ”on the road at the Tokyo Games (44 km) on 28 July and by the Swiss Küng on 9 September for 8 seconds at the European Championships in Trento (22 km). He has lost the last three but they are his two fastest times of all time: at an average of 58.83 km / h in the first of the 2020 Giro , at an average of 58.75 km / h in the first stage of the 2021 Giro . About Ganna there is a certainty: it never yields below what that day is worth. If he finishes second it is because he couldn't finish first.

In the interviews on the eve, Ganna says « I don't have an attack plan yet, I have to understand the route, see it, study the details, the curves, the tears, the straights. It has a not exaggerated height difference (78 meters), it is longer than Imola in 2020. In the time trials it is up to you and it depends on the opponents, on the day they have, on a gust of wind, on how you sleep. Whoever makes less mistakes will win ». Meanwhile, thankfully, he pushes back the temptation from Wiggins , a physical transformation to aim for the racing rankings in three weeks. And it freezes the possibility of beating the hour record until 2022, because «you don't just prepare with your head, but you have to pedal and go fast from the first to the last of 3600 seconds. I will try it, when the time comes, at sea level ».

Meanwhile, there is a rainbow jersey to defend. And, if possible, to be reconquered.

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