Filippo Ganna smashes Hour Record, says he can 'go higher again' with fresher legs at different stage of season

BySam Rooke

Updated 08/10/2022 at 21:54 GMT

Ineos Grenadiers rider Filippo Ganna has smashed the world hour record at the Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland. Just six weeks after Daniel Bigham broke a record which had stood for five years, Ganna obliterated the mark, extending it by just over 1.2 km. He said afterwards that it was an "amazing" result after all the hard work that had been put into it.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Filippo Ganna has smashed the world hour record at the Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland and said afterwards that he can improve the mark again.

At the halfway mark, Ganna's pace was ahead of the target by a small margin - and with 15 minutes remaining, the Italian had extended the gap.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the race, Ganna had set a new record mark of 56.792 km, an increase of more than 1.24 km over the previous record held by Daniel Bingham.

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Physically shattered after breaking the record, Ganna was clearly delighted. He said: "I think this result is amazing. Today to arrive at this amazing goal is fantastic for me, and for all the staff who have worked for a long time to arrive at this result."

Not only did Ganna break the previous official record, he also beat Chris Boardman's so-called "best human effort", a record set in 1996 under now banned conditions.

When asked about the Boardman record, Ganna smiled. He said: "This morning I thought to break the record by one metre. But in the end I said I wanted to do more. I think this result is amazing, [to beat Boardman’s] 56.375 is not bad."

Ganna was exhausted and bathed in sweat. He was still collecting his breath when speaking afterwards. He admitted: "I've put so much work into it."

The Italian even hinted at another attempt to even further extend his all-time record. He said: "Next time maybe I’ll try in another part of the season with fresher legs and we can go higher again. This result is amazing. Now I’m thinking about recovery and trying to celebrate together with everyone here.”

'We can go higher again' - Ganna after smashing Hour Record

Before his attempt, Ganna was optimistic, but unwilling to sugar coat what lay ahead. He said: "I’m looking forward to the challenge, even though it’s going to be an hour of pure suffering. It will be interesting to see how my body holds up, and just how far I can go - it’s a chance to really test your physical and mental limits. To undertake a prestigious event like this is an important step in my career.”

Ganna's attempt was previously set to be undertaken in August, but he delayed it.

In the interim, British rider Daniel Bigham set the record himself, increasing the all-time mark to 55.548 km.

Bigham broke a record which had survived five previous failed attempts, that of Victor Campenaerts. Campenaerts had set the previous mark in April 2019.

The British rider then joined Ganna's team, helping him to prepare for his assault on the record the Englishman himself had set.

Ganna rode a world-first fully 3D-printed Pinarello Bolide bike, designed with Ganna's direct participation. His machine's chain alone cost over $6000.

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