Filippo Ganna flies to victory in Tirreno-Adriatico opening time trial

Filippo Ganna started as the big favorite for the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico and fully lived up to expectations. The Italian was an impressive 22 seconds faster at the finish in Lido di Camaiore than his teammate Thymen Arensman, who finished second on the day and also scored valuable points with an eye on the overall victory.

The 61st edition of Tirreno-Adriatico began – as in recent years – in Lido di Camaiore, a seaside resort on the Tyrrhenian Sea in Tuscany. Here, an individual time trial of 11.5 kilometers was laid out along the boulevard. With two long straight sections, few corners, and minimal elevation gain, this course was ideal for pure time trial specialists.

Filippo Ganna was the clear favorite for the stage win beforehand. The Italian had already won the time trial in Lido di Camaiore three times (in 2022, 2023, and 2025) and has clearly not lost his knack for racing against the clock, as evidenced by his recent time trial victory at the Volta ao Algarve. However, the Italian champion isn’t invincible in Lido di Camaiore, so there was hope for the competition.

Mountain biking star sets the first benchmark time
On paper, Wout van Aert looked like one of Ganna’s main challengers, but the Belgian clearly wanted to save energy for the upcoming stages and didn’t go all-out. Alan Hatherly, on the other hand, went all-out and posted a sharp time at the finish. The former mountain bike world champion flew over the course first at an average speed of 54 kilometers per hour, holding off strong riders like Sjoerd Bax and Jan Tratnik.

These were not the only riders to be bested by the South African, as one rider after another failed to beat Hatherly’s fast time. Isaac Del Toro was no exception, though the Mexican top favorite for the overall did get close. UAE Emirates’ leader got off to a blazing start but lost time in the final kilometers, ending six seconds behind the surprising Hatherly.

Arensman rockets to the top time
The rider from Jayco AlUla, however, couldn’t enjoy his time leading for long, as Magnus Sheffield was the first to beat his time. The American time trial specialist was three seconds faster, but his leading position didn’t last either. Indeed, several minutes after Sheffield’s finish, Max Walscheid set a new benchmark time, though his advantage was just a few hundredths of a second.

The strong German from Lidl-Trek made a bid for a good overall result with his 12:35 time, but the victory was out of reach, as Thymen Arensman proved it could be done even faster on the way to Lido di Camaiore. The Dutch INEOS Grenadiers rider started like a rocket but really made the difference in the second half. After a powerful final phase, Arensman stopped the clock at 12 minutes and 30 seconds.

The stage racer not only posted the fastest time but also highlighted his ambitions in the general classification with this performance. Meanwhile, another Dutch star, Mathieu van der Poel, treated it more like a ‘health ride.’ The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider – who has delivered some good time trials in the past – was clearly focused on Tuesday’s stage and lost a minute and a half to his countryman.

Ganna more than fulfills favorite role
Arensman – who had meanwhile taken over the hot seat – then anxiously waited to see if his time would hold up for the victory. His biggest rival seemed to come from his own team, with top favorite Filippo Ganna. The Italian champion did what was expected of him at the first split – he was already four seconds faster than his teammate there – and kept extending his lead over the remaining kilometers.

Watch here Filippo Ganna's finish:

🚴🇮🇹 | Helaas voor Thymen Arensman is er tegen zijn ploeggenoot Filippo Ganna niets opgewassen. Het is de snelste tijdrit in de geschiedenis van #TirrenoAdriatico⏱️

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— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) March 9, 2026

Ganna blasted to an incredible finish, beating Arensman by a remarkable 22 seconds, averaging an astounding 56.2 kilometers per hour, breaking his own speed record in Lido di Camaiore. The two-time world champion thus won the time trial in Lido di Camaiore for the fourth time, ahead of the strong Arensman, who in turn laid a very solid foundation for a possible overall victory.