Remco Evenepoel Questions Filippo Ganna Power Claims After Record Worlds TT Win
- Remco Evenepoel claimed his fourth straight time trial title at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, defeating Italy's Filippo Ganna by a massive 57-second margin.
- Ganna expressed frustration over the condition of the racing surface outside the Formula 1 circuit and cycle path, telling Cyclingnews that the route in the city was riddled...
- According to Cyclingnews data from the event, Evenepoel built his decisive advantage through superior cornering on the technical sections of the Montreal route.
Remco Evenepoel claimed his fourth straight time trial title at the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, defeating Italy’s Filippo Ganna by a massive 57-second margin. According to Cyclingnews, the Belgian rider dominated the 39.2-kilometer course in 45 minutes, significantly expanding his winning gap from previous head-to-head encounters.
Course Conditions and Technical Demands in Montreal
Ganna expressed frustration over the condition of the racing surface outside the Formula 1 circuit and cycle path, telling Cyclingnews that the route in the city was riddled with potholes, cracks, and uneven tarmac. Ganna argued that a World Championship deserves the best possible tarmac, particularly at the start of the course. Despite the surface challenges, Ganna reported producing his career-best power numbers for the 45-minute effort.
Evenepoel countered those power claims while speaking to Cyclingnews, noting that the technical nature of the course meant average power and normalized power were divided due to frequent cornering. Evenepoel stated that if Ganna had truly executed his best 45-minute power output, the Italian would have finished much closer to the winning time.
Cornering Mastery and Time Gaps
According to Cyclingnews data from the event, Evenepoel built his decisive advantage through superior cornering on the technical sections of the Montreal route. Over the first 10.7 kilometers, which featured 18 turns, Evenepoel gained nearly 23 seconds on Ganna. An additional 18 seconds were added on the second section containing multiple 180-degree turns, resulting in a 41-second deficit for Ganna over the initial 21.9 kilometers.
The physical risks of pushing through Montreal’s corners were highlighted by Sweden’s Jakob Soderqvist, who was running third at the final check before crashing out of a potential podium finish, as reported by Cyclingnews. Evenepoel navigated the technical sections safely, explaining to Cyclingnews that his confidence and skill on both time trial and standard bikes have improved significantly.
Season Workload and Equipment Development
Ganna pointed to a demanding full-season schedule as a contributing factor to the performance gap, noting to Cyclingnews that he maintained a 90% shape profile all year while contesting races from Algarve and Tirreno-Adriatico through the Classics and the Giro d’Italia. Ganna also noted that his equipment setup relied on wind tunnel data from January and February, as no further dates were available before the World Championships.
In contrast, Cyclingnews reported that Evenepoel took a 69-day break from competition prior to the Tour de France to collaborate with Specialized on the development of their new Shiv time trial bike. Evenepoel confirmed to Cyclingnews that he plans to continue testing and refining the new machine at the upcoming Chrono des Nations.
As for the Hour Record, I have not yet given much thought to pursuing it, though it is evident that a future attempt is possible. I believe I possess the required abilities to target that record, but prior to all of that, I still have numerous other goals concerning the Grand Tours and next Sunday, meaning there are far more priorities ahead of the Hour Record.
Remco Evenepoel via Cyclingnews