National Championships 2022 – Italy – Individual Time Trial [Highlights] (italian)

June 22, 2022

National Championships 2022 – Italy – ITT, ME/WE/U23 – San Giovanni al Natisone – San Giovanni al Natisone : 35,6 km

The Italian National Road Race Championships are held annually. They are a road cycling race which decides the Italian cycling champion in the road racing discipline, across several categories of rider. The event was first held in 1906. None of the road champions have also won the time trial race.

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) claimed the third Italian time trial title of his career on Wednesday with a dominant ride that underlines his form ahead of the Tour de France.

Ganna, who won the title in 2019 and 2020 but missed out last year, dominated this year’s event, beating Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep-Alpha-Vinyl) and Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) to the top spot of the podium.

Ganna is also the world champion and will therefore not wear the Italian champion’s tricolore skinsuit until at least September, and even then he will be favoured to retain the rainbow bands for another year.

Ganna, riding the new disguised Pinarello Bolide TT bike, set a time of 40:29 on the 35.6km course in San Giovanni al Natisone, which was largely flat and suited to the more powerful riders.

He beat Cattaneo by 36 seconds, with Affini third at 50 seconds. Last year’s winner Matteo Sobrero (BikeExchange-Jayco) could only manage fourth but was the only other rider to finish within a minute of the winning time.

Ganna was only four seconds up on Cattaneo at the mid-way checkpoint but blitzed the second half of the course to put the title out of sight.

Ganna’s victory underlines his status as favourite for the opening time trial at the Tour de France next Friday. The Tour kicks off with a 13.2km course in Copenhagen, with the first yellow jersey up for grabs.

Ganna has won two world titles, three national titles, and six stages at the Giro d’Italia but has yet to make his Tour de France debut.

Results ME:

Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo) claimed her ninth elite national title in San Giovanni al Natisone on Wednesday, taking the victory in the 35.6-kilometre elite women’s time trial with a winning time of 46:31.

The national title is Longo Borghini’s sixth in the time trial and adds to her trio of road race national championship victories.

Longo Borghini topped FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope’s Vittoria Guazzini by 32 seconds, with Marta Cavalli, also of FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine-Futuroscope, third at 1:02.

Results WE :