Filippo Ganna Targets Road Race at European Championships

Filippo Ganna will skip the time trial at the Road European Championships to target the 200km road race on Sunday.

The Italian national coach Daniele Bennati selected Mattia Cattaneo and Matteo Sobrero for the 29.5km time trial.

Filippo Ganna showed his sprinting prowess with three second places at the recent Vuelta a España.

He will head up a nine-man squad, which also includes Elia Viviani, Luca Mozzato, Andrea Pasqualon, and Matteo Trentin.

Ganna has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2023, with time trial wins at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Italian National Championships.

He took a world title in the individual pursuit, narrowly beating Ineos adviser Dan Bigham.

The road race will see the peloton tackle seven ascents of the Col du VAM with a reduced bunch sprint expected at the finish.

Ganna and Trentin will co-lead the squad, according to Bennati.

Bennati told La Gazzetta dello Sport that the team has many experienced elements, each with an important and well-defined role.

Elia Viviani's presence is fundamental, as he is a team player and a great director.

Ganna will be aiming to add to Italy's four European titles in the past five years, with Matteo Trentin, Elia Viviani, Giacomo Nizzolo, and Sonny Colbrelli all having won gold.

The latest race will be Ganna's last outing of the road season.

Vittoria Guazzini and Alessia Vigilia will take on the 29.5km elite women's time trial.

Elisa Balsamo and Elisa Longo Borghini lead a squad including Silvia Persico, Sofia Bertizzolo, and Elena Cecchini in the 131.3km road race.

Ganna's decision to skip the time trial may raise some eyebrows, but it's clear that he's focused on the road race.

With his strong team behind him, he's got a good chance of taking home the blue stripes of European champion.