Ganna forced by INEOS Grenadiers to ride Tour of Flanders — even though he doesn’t want to

Filippo Ganna is already one of the standout figures of this spring season. The Italian from INEOS Grenadiers sprinted against Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar for the win in Milan–San Remo and had to settle for third behind Van der Poel and Mads Pedersen in the E3 Saxo Classic. A starring role in the Tour of Flanders now seems to be on the cards—but, oddly enough, it’s not one Ganna himself is excited about.

In the E3 Saxo Classic, Ganna followed Pedersen and Van der Poel when the Dane launched a blistering attack on the Taaienberg. He struggled briefly but managed to claw his way back. However, his race was effectively over on the Oude Kwaremont, where he couldn’t match the pace and had to let the duo go. Third place was the best he could manage—finishing a full two minutes behind the winner from Alpecin-Deceuninck. As preparation for Paris–Roubaix, the time trial specialist was expected to ride Gent–Wevelgem on Sunday, but his name was missing from the official start list.

According to Ciro Scognamiglio, a journalist at La Gazzetta dello Sport, that’s because Ganna will now be racing the Tour of Flanders instead. Originally, he was set to skip it to focus entirely on Roubaix, but the Italian journalist—who is known for reliable insider info—reports that his compatriot will indeed be at the start line next weekend. It would be Ganna’s first appearance in the Tour of Flanders since 2019, when he finished 98th. The year before, he didn’t make it to the finish at all.

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Ganna reveals his updated spring program during E3

It may not sound too promising at first glance, but Filippo Ganna has rapidly developed into a serious contender on the cobbles. If he does start, he'll be on the shortlist of favorites. However, the rider himself isn’t exactly thrilled about it. After the E3 Saxo Classic, Ganna was caught chatting with his fellow podium finishers, where he revealed he would be riding the Tour of Flanders—just not by choice. “I have to ride the Tour of Flanders,” he said, sounding rather reluctant.

Mathieu van der Poel couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s great though, right?” he asked. “For you, yes,” Ganna replied, clearly not too eager to be dropped again by the former world champion. Van der Poel and Pedersen tried to lift his spirits. “This race is much tougher than Flanders. This is one of the hardest spring classics,” said the Dane. That managed to put a smile back on the Italian’s face. What we can expect from Ganna in 'Flanders finest' remains to be seen—but if he lines up, you can bet he’ll be in the mix at the front.

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