Ganna sets his sights on three races in 2025: "Roubaix is a different sport. In my opinion, it’s not cycling"

Filippo Ganna is hard at work preparing for a pivotal season in which he has set his sights on three major goals: Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, and the Tour de France. The Italian is certainly not opting for the easy route. The year 2025 promises to be particularly challenging. Under the guidance of Leonardo Basso, the 28-year-old INEOS Grenadiers rider is preparing for an important spring campaign.

It had already become clear earlier that Ganna would focus more on road racing in 2025. Last year, the Olympics put a spotlight on track cycling for him. Now that he's back, we’re gonna notice, as he’s not keeping his 2025 targets a secret. "The only thing Milan-San Remo, Roubaix, and the Tour have in common is that I’ve never won them. Not a single stage, nothing at all. So in that respect, I’m a bit behind, and I hope that 2025 will be the year when I can finally check these three races off my list," he told Bici.Pro with notable ambition.

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Roubaix is not cycling; it's a different sport

In 2023, Ganna finished second in Milan-San Remo. That performance likely proved to him and the team that a victory is within reach. To achieve this unforgettable feat, the Italian powerhouse is now focusing on endurance and explosiveness. "We’re already working hard. We’re trying to increase the training load, spend more hours on the bike, and improve endurance so I can be fresh for those final kilometers. From there, I want to be competitive on the Poggio like in recent years, and see what’s possible in a potential sprint."

For Paris-Roubaix, the other Monument Ganna has set his sights on, he emphasizes that the race has a different dynamic from traditional road cycling. "Roubaix is a different sport. In my opinion, it’s not cycling. It’s a mix of inflicting pain on yourself and lots of suffering, but cycling is something else. Yet it holds a special place in the hearts of many sports fans. It’s a wild race, and it requires attention to detail to get the most out of it. Anyway, in any race, whether it’s a classic or another race, instinct always comes into play. You have to stay calm and calculated, but sometimes you also have to follow your instincts," the time trial specialist explained.

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Winning a Tour stage is a must this summer

Ganna’s third major goal is no small feat either: winning a stage in the Tour de France. It should be possible. "The goal is to show up at the starting line motivated and fit. Once in France, we’ll take it day by day to see what’s possible. The time trials are challenging, especially the second one, which is a climbing time trial. I’m ruling that one out in advance. We’ll see what comes my way."

Ganna will begin his season on French soil. The Étoile de Bessèges will mark the first time we see him in action in 2025. The fifth and final stage is a 10.6-kilometer prologue, which seems tailor-made for Ganna. We don't yet know which races he will ride afterward to prepare for his first major goals.

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