Filippo Ganna almost won the sprint at the Vuelta a España. The power of INEOS Grenadiers put him in a good position for the final sprint when the team took the lead in the final meters.
However, Ganna took the lead for too long in the final straight of the 19th stage, so in the end, compatriot Alberto Dainese overtook him. Ganna, who finished in second place, later thanked his team.
“The boys were fantastic today,” said the Italian in front of the Eurosport cameras. “They got to the front of the peloton and did a great job. Unfortunately, I’m not a sprinter. When the peloton slowed down a bit, I started from too far back. With about three hundred meters to go, I had to drop because the speed was dropping. I lost another sprint with a small difference.”
Watch the sprint:
Accident in the last kilometer
In the penultimate kilometer, there was a crash involving the green jersey Kaden Groves, who thus couldn’t contest the finish. Ganna gave his opinion on what happened. “Sometimes people lack focus. They don’t look ahead but around or behind them. Then something like this happens,” Ganna said.
Watch the accident:
The Eurosport interviewer ended up giving a compliment to the INEOS Italian rider: “Coming second as a time trialist in a fast race isn’t bad.” “Yeah, it’s like asking Kaden Groves to do a time trial,” the Italian replied with a laugh.