Ganna had 'angel on his shoulder' in confrontation with fences, unlucky Tarling is left empty-handed

Filippo Ganna secured the silver medal in the Olympic time trial with a bit of craft and improvisation. The Italian initially seemed to be heading for bronze but managed to turn a deficit into a significant lead over Wout van Aert with a strong final section. Remco Evenepoel proved to be too strong for Ganna. Just off the podium was Brit Joshua Tarling. After suffering a flat tire during the race, the rider was very disappointed afterward.

Although Ganna, as a multiple-time world champion in time trialing, had certainly hoped for gold, he can live with a silver medal. "It's better than at the previous Olympics," said Ganna with a smile in an interview with Eurosport. At the previous Games in Tokyo, Ganna finished fifth and missed the podium. "I am very happy because I am not very good in the rain," the Italian remarked about the persistent rain during the time trial.

"But I tried to follow my dream and maintain the right pace," Ganna continued. "I am happy with my performance today. I have to thank the staff, because since the beginning of the season, they have been helping me achieve this result. I also need to thank my coach, because he is the one who believes in me. Finishing second hurts a bit, but tonight we will celebrate."

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Surprisingly, the time trial ended well for Ganna, as he had a dangerous collision with the barriers in the final phase. "It was very close," Ganna reflects on the risky moment. "I don’t know exactly what happened. Maybe I had a guardian angel on my shoulder that prevented a serious crash," he says with relief. Finally, Ganna mentions a mistake in his preparation. "We did the reconnaissance in very good weather. It was dry and fairly warm. Now the conditions are completely different. Maybe it would have been better to do another high-speed reconnaissance this morning in wet conditions, but in the end, everyone had to ride the same race. I am happy."

Tarling in despair after unfortunate flat tire

Tarling, the great time trial talent, was only two seconds short of winning a medal in his debut at the Olympic Games. The Brit finished fourth in the time trial, which was especially bitter because he had to change bikes due to a flat tire. He appeared in front of Sporza’s camera afterward, looking like a farmer with a toothache.

"It hurts," says a disappointed Tarling about his fourth-place finish. "I tried, but I can’t change it now." The flat tire occurred early in the time trial. "There was nothing I could do. Quickly, I was riding entirely on the rim. If it had been a slow flat, I might have been able to keep going. But with the upcoming corners, I had to change bikes."

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With a deficit of only two seconds on the bronze and thirteen seconds on the silver of Filippo Ganna, the question naturally lingers: what if Tarling had not had a flat tire? However, the young rider has little to say about that. "I don’t know," Tarling doesn’t really want to talk about it. "The men in front of me all rode a good time trial. I don’t know what could have been, because it didn’t happen. The medals have been awarded, and that’s it... I tried, congratulations to them."

With gold (Remco Evenepoel) and bronze (Van Aert), the time trial was a great success for Belgium. "They are flying, and I think they will be great in the road race," Tarling managed to say some kind words about the competition. "Additionally, it’s incredible that Remco, after the Tour podium, now also wins the time trial here. Well done."