Filippo Ganna steps onto the world podium in the time trial once again, placing a seventh medal around his neck but must once again come to terms with the overwhelming dominance of Remco Evenepoel, who has now set the record with four consecutive world titles.

"I'm satisfied because I gave the maximum performance I had in my legs, probably the best time trial of my life at this distance. Remco was stronger, there's nothing else to say".

A podium finish that, despite not being on the top step, was welcomed with satisfaction by the Italian champion, ready to share his emotions and reflections.

"Regarding my performance, I can't say anything negative; I'm truly proud of the way we worked on our strategy - Ganna stated, emphasizing the hard work done in preparation for this race -. After the Tour I did good training at home; I worked a lot on saddle position and specific preparation. I believe I recorded my best time today over a 45-minute distance. I have nothing to complain about, everything went well".

Speaking about the course, Ganna shared his impressions on the asphalt: "I think a world championship would deserve better road surface. The conditions are the same for everyone, but certainly, new asphalt would have been appreciated by all". The Italian then described the route: "In the second part, the Formula 1 circuit section, it was perfect. Perhaps here in the city something could have been done better, but the course is what it is and we did our best".

Questions from journalists came quickly in the press conference and Ganna answered with humility, acknowledging Evenepoel's superiority. "I'm certainly training well for these longer distances and I did everything the right way. Power values were very high compared to predictions. The time was also better than expected, considering the benchmarks I had with the team. Perhaps the difference lies in the equipment or saddle position or simply I wasn't as fast and aerodynamic as Remco. I can say, however, that I learned a lot from this race and wouldn't change anything".

On specific preparation, Ganna explained: "I started the season with a long training camp in Gran Canaria in January and haven't stopped since then. I try to win on every occasion: Algarve, Tirreno, Classics, Giro... I always aim for victory". He then admitted that while he had hoped for a better result, he was satisfied with his performance.

The conversation shifted to motivation and how Ganna manages to keep morale high during such a long season. "It's not over yet: when I get home I have another race in Italy and then the Track World Championships in Shanghai - he replied - The main objective is a vacation in the Maldives. When I cross the finish line of the last track event, I'll be able to say the season is finally over".

Shortly before the Italian, national team coach Marco Villa also spoke: "We were surprised by the gap accumulated at the first time check, especially because to us (Villa was in the team car with Dario David Cioni, ed.) it seemed that Pippo tackled all the curves with the right aggression, evidently Remco was more aggressive... After that time check Pippo did lose to Evenepoel but much less and especially he gained quite a bit on all the other competitors, so we certainly can't speak of a subpar performance. A reaction? No, we can't really talk about a reaction also because Pippo had asked us to tell him Evenepoel's time, he never wanted to know the others'. And anyway this result, combined with Cattaneo's performance and especially those of Elisa Longo Borghini and Vittoria Guazzini, gives us good reason to hope for the mixed relay on Tuesday".