Filippo Ganna should aim for the hour record next month, it has been announced by his Ineos Grenadiers (opens in a new tab) team on Friday morning.
The two-time Italian world time trial champion will attempt to complete the 55.548 km distance set by Dan Bigham at the Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland on October 8 at 8 p.m. local time.
The hour record is a long-time goal for the Italian, who has dominated time trials in recent years, winning 20 road events in his career so far. He has also won several track medals and holds the record for individual and team pursuits.
In the statement released on Friday, Ganna said the attempt was a “significant milestone” in her career.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge, even though it’s going to be an hour of pure suffering,” said the 26-year-old. “It will be interesting to see how my body holds up and how far I can go – it’s a chance to really test your physical and mental limits. Undertaking a prestigious event like this is a big step in my career.
The record was broken in August by Bigham, who works as a performance engineer for Ineos Grenadiers at the same velodrome. It was an effort that was apparently a test before Ganna’s record, despite breaking the previous record, set by Victor Campenaerts, by nearly 500m.
At the time, Bigham described his record run as “a bit mind-blowing” and “pretty epic”.
Ganna spoke of her excitement at using the new equipment developed especially for hour record attempts.
“I trained on the new Pinarello bike and it’s super fast – I love it,” he said. It’s another step up from the already high standard we have with our equipment.
“The team puts so much energy and effort into these projects, and our partners, from Pinarello and the new prototype bike to a fully custom suit made by Bioracer – they’ve done their part, so now it’s up to us. my turn. I’m going to feel really good when I enter this velodrome. Mentally, it will already give me a few extra meters.
Ineos deputy team principal Rod Ellingworth said nothing had been left to chance in the run-up to Ganna’s bid for the hour record.
“We’ve been working on this exciting event for the past year,” he said. “There has been so much thought into the planning of this event so that we can ensure that Filippo arrives at the start line in Switzerland with the best equipment for the greatest chance of success.
“When it comes to taking part in events like this, we leave nothing to chance – constantly refining what we do and how we do things is part of the genetic make-up of the Ineos Grenadiers team. C “It’s inspiring to work alongside some of the best minds in the business. It’s that kind of care and consideration that shows our athletes how much we want them to succeed.”
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