Former coach of Ganna warns van der Poel and Pogacar ahead of cobblestone Monuments: "He's now a true leader"

The spring of 2025 has predominantly been the spring of Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar. However, we can also include Mads Pedersen in that list after his impressive solo victory in Gent-Wevelgem. Behind the three leading contenders, Filippo Ganna is also having a great spring behind the three leading contenders, with second place in Milan-Sanremo and third place in the E3 Saxo Classic. If we go by Dario Cioni, the Italian ex-cyclist who accompanied Ganna for INEOS Grenadiers for many years and still accompanies him in time trials, we can expect even more from the 28-year-old fast-rider this spring.

Ganna won in mid-February when he came in first in the Tour of Algarve after a large part of the peloton had taken a wrong turn. The Italian was ultimately denied victory when the organization neutralized the first stage. In Tirreno-Adriatico, Ganna immediately won the opening time trial, after which he went on to the first Monument in his home country with good legs. In Sanremo, he finished second after impressive climbing, followed by a third place in the E3.

After an outstanding first part of the spring, Ganna now has the Tour of Flanders on his schedule, although he did not seem to be aiming for it. This became clearer after the E3 Saxo Classic. "I have to ride the Tour of Flanders," said the Italian, somewhat sad on the podium, where fellow podium finishers van der Poel and Pedersen couldn't help but laugh about it. Yet Ganna's initial reluctance has changed. "I want to try it and see how far I can go. I also feel its historicity and charm; it's nice to be there," he tells La Gazzetta Dello Sport with renewed determination.

In the Tour of Flanders, Ganna will face van der Poel and Pedersen again, while world champion Pogacar will also be back in Flanders' Finest after a year's absence. A very strong field of participants, although according to Cioni, the Italian himself should also be considered a favorite. "Filippo is very versatile, and when he is at his best, he can deliver great performances in a series of very variable efforts."

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Ganna finished third in the E3 Saxo Classic behind van der Poel and Pedersen

In addition to personal success, Ganna wants to put INEOS back on the map in the classics

According to Cioni, Ganna changed his approach to the cobblestone Monuments this year, as the goals for the year are very different this season than they were a year earlier. "In the winter, he worked much more consistently than in 2023-2024 because he did not have the seasonal ailments that had held him back the year before. Then, we are talking about objectives. In 2024, he did everything he could to go to the Olympic Games at the end of July/beginning of August, so he sacrificed a little during the first few months of competition."

This year, there is certainly no question of sacrifice. "This time, it was decided to focus strongly on Sanremo and Roubaix," Cioni knows. He also saw that his former pupil had also undergone tremendous development. "He has matured and is now a true leader in certain one-day races."

Ganna wants to use his top form in the Monuments not only for his own success, but the Italian also wants to put his INEOS Grenadiers team back on the map as a great classics team. "That is our goal, and we are all working towards the same goal,†said the Italian, who was quite impressed by his Dutch competitor in the E3 on Friday. "In Harelbeke, I saw Van der Poel up close for the first time in a Belgian classic. Simply impressive...."

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