PARIS — Italian powerhouse Filippo Ganna motored to his seventh national time-trial title and fifth in a row.
The 29-year-old Netcompany Ineos rider blasted around the 40km course from Vicoforte to Barolo in northwest Italy in 47min 39sec.
The two-time world champion in the discipline finished 2min 06sec ahead of Luca Giaimi in second with Mattia Cattaneo third at 2:36.
Ganna has enjoyed a fine season, taking a sensationally victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen in April, catching breakaway rider Wout van Aert in the final 100 metres.
He has also won individual time-trials at the Giro d’Italia, Tirreno-Adriatico and Volta ao Algarve this year.
Young Italian star Lorenzo Finn, who last week won the Giro Next Gen stage race for U23 riders, came sixth at 3:23, AFP reported.
The 19-year-old won world road race titles at junior and U23 levels in the last two years.
The race may have dealt a blow to Dane Jonas Vingegaard’s hopes of winning the Tour de France, which starts next week.
The Visma-Lease a Bike leader is hoping to dethrone Tadej Pogacar at the Grande Boucle, and may be without another of his key lieutenants when the race begins in Barcelona on July 4.
Edoardo Affini was taken to hospital by an ambulance after crashing badly during his race.
“Examinations at the hospital showed that no fractures were sustained,” Visma said, adding the rider had never lost consciousness.
Vingegaard has already lost Van Aert from his Tour team after the Belgian Paris-Roubaix winner suffered an elbow infection.
The Tour begins with a team time-trial and Affini is crucial to Visma’s strength in that discipline.
