Italy secured two valuable medals in the UCI Worlds 2024 Time Trial in Zurich, with Filippo Ganna taking silver and Edoardo Affini earning bronze. Although they missed out on gold, the Italians finished behind the phenomenal Belgian champion Remco Evenepoel, who successfully defended his world title in the discipline. For Evenepoel, this marks his second consecutive rainbow jersey in the time trial, maintaining the dominance he first showcased in Glasgow in 2023.
The race was intense, particularly in the second half of the 46 km course, which was tackled at an average speed of 52 km/h. Ganna, trailing by 19 seconds at the final intermediate check, unleashed all his power, narrowing the gap but not enough to surpass the Belgian. For the Piedmontese rider, this is his fourth world time trial podium, following his victories in 2020 and 2021 and last year's silver. For Affini, this is his first time on the world podium, a result that underscores his steady growth, highlighted by his recent win at the European Championships in Hasselt.
Affini finished ahead of England's Joshua Tarling and Australia's Jay Vine, the latter of whom suffered a crash on the treacherous descent of the Swiss course, crossing the finish line bloodied. Evenepoel also faced a tense moment before the start, as a chain slip on his first pedal stroke was fortunately resolved by his team in time.
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Ganna's preparation for the Zurich World Championships was not easy. After the Olympic Games, the Piedmontese rider faced physical and mental challenges, compounded by fatigue from a long season. The Zurich time trial was his 64th race of the year, and until early September, his participation was uncertain. It was only after a high-altitude training camp at Rifugio Oberto Maroli, in front of Monte Rosa, that Ganna decided to compete, showing up in one of his best conditions of the season.
Edoardo Affini also distinguished himself in the second half of the year, with strong performances in the Vuelta a Burgos and the Vuelta a España, along with double European gold in Belgium. Ganna and Affini will be back in action on Wednesday for the mixed team time trial, another medal opportunity for Italy.
