We weren't wrong to put him on the cover of the last tuttoBICI issue. In March, Filippo Ganna showed us he's ready to bloom. Like the most beautiful spring flower, in the first Monument classic of the year he fought on par with the world's strongest, making cycling fans fall in love even more.

Toned like never before and with a beard he won't shave until at least Paris-Roubaix, Super Pippo gifted us the most extraordinary half-hour in modern Milano-Sanremo history, rebuffing World Champion Tadej Pogacar's attack on the Cipressa, chasing him as if he were his arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France, and only bowing to the powerful sprint in Via Roma by another world-class rider closely linked to the rainbow jersey.

After nearly winning the Classicissima, Top Ganna confirmed with 8th place at Flanders that he's our best card for the Northern campaign. On the Roubaix pavé, his dream race and second red circle on his calendar, he'll meet again Mathieu van der Poel, another tough dog like Wout van Aert and many others, but he'll start as always aiming for full victory.

The best Ganna ever on the road can compete with the phenomena. Van der Poel had already noticed this during the Colfiorito stage of Tirreno-Adriatico: the 28-year-old from Verbania, after winning the opening time trial of the two-sea race, had attempted a breakaway reaching an impressive speed of 78 km/h on the flat, and MVDP was left powerless to catch him. Then came the uphill performances in the wake of Juan Ayuso, a terrain where he had never been so brilliant. Someone compared him to a bumblebee whose wing structure, in relation to its weight, is not suitable for flying, but he doesn't know it and flies anyway. Sumptuous and fearless, in Ineos Grenadiers we hope he'll "force" us to dedicate another cover story to him. Shaved or not, it doesn't matter.

Pippo, let's start from Sanremo. You crossed the finish line in second place, just like in 2023, always behind Van der Poel, but this time it was different.

"Back then I was angry, now I can't say I'm happy because I'm the first among the defeated, but I've made another step forward. I couldn't ask more from myself and the team, which did an excellent job. I put in one of my best performances. I stood on the podium with a world champion (Pogacar) and someone who has won more classics than you can count on one hand (Van der Poel). We entertained the public. Personally, I gave my all and those two made me lose ten years of my life..."

Reflecting on the race, do you have any regrets?

"Perhaps not anticipating Van der Poel in the sprint, but I don't like reasoning with 'what ifs'. I played my hand until the end, I couldn't have invented anything more. On the Cipressa I tried to stay regular, but if I hadn't tried to grit my teeth and resist Tadej's attacks, I would have finished way back. On the Poggio, I suffered tremendously. I gained a lot on the descent and on the Aurelia I unleashed maximum power to get back to the two leaders. It was one of the toughest races of my life, but I also delivered one of my best performances ever."

You'll have to try again...

"Absolutely. There have been champions like Mario Cipollini who took 14 years to win Sanremo. I sincerely hope to succeed earlier because otherwise the wait would become long. Think about how boring that would be... Even for the fans. I take this opportunity to thank the passionate supporters along the road who pushed me with their encouragement. From Pavia to Sanremo, I heard my name being shouted for 300 kilometers, and this gave me an extra sprint. I hope to repay all this support as soon as possible."

April 13th could be a useful date for another monumental performance.

"If I had a crystal ball, I'd like to know how Roubaix will end, but it's impossible to make predictions, so I'm working to arrive in the best possible condition as I did three weeks before the Classic. I won it among the Espoirs in 2016 (no Italian had ever dominated among the Under 23s), I was 19 and attacked 4 kilometers from the finish. It would be wonderful to repeat this in the top category and bring home the most precious stone. As always, once I've done my best, if the result comes, great, if someone is stronger than me I'll congratulate them, and if I make mistakes, I'll analyze them to improve."

From tuttoBICI April edition