Ganna saw "world-class" Van der Poel in E3 and "could have cried in the finale": "I really thought: f*ck"

"How much energy did this cost me? Too much," laughs the Verbania-born rider, who saw Van der Poel launch a blistering acceleration on the Oude Kwaremont. Mads Pedersen, who beat Ganna to second place, was able to keep up with the Dutchman, unlike the Italian. "I wanted to follow them there, but it was so hard. My weight is also not ideal for such a climb," Ganna admits.

After Pedersen was initially able to stick with Van der Poel, the Dutchman definitively flew off a bit farther up the Kwaremont. Ganna, too, saw how strong Van der Poel was on Friday. "Is there a way to beat Van der Poel? I’d like to, but in these races he’s simply world-class."

Behind Van der Poel and Pedersen, Ganna found himself battling with his own limits. "I was really going completely into the red and had to push myself over those last few kilometers. I can’t even describe the feeling in my legs. They were totally on fire. When I saw there were still 30 kilometers to go, I really thought: f*ck. I could have cried."

Ganna does have time to recover from a grueling E3 Saxo Classic. The Italian is scheduled to spend a little more than two weeks without racing before starting Paris-Roubaix in good spirits on April 13. There, he hopes to do what he couldn’t manage today: beat Van der Poel. If Ganna does appear at the start of the Tour of Flanders next Sunday, the Italian will also have a shot at defeating Van der Poel there.

Despite finishing third, Ganna still feels good about his E3 performance on Friday. "I’m happy with the feeling and with this result. It was extremely tough, but we managed to put on a show," the powerhouse rider says, ending on a positive note.