Filippo Ganna of Ineos Grenadiers made it two-in-a-row on the final day of the 2021 Étoile de Bessèges.
The world time trial champion rode 10 seconds faster than anyone else in the field on the final day of racing. His win comes a day after he rode off the front of a strong breakaway group, to time trial his way to a stage 4 win.
At the end of five days of racing Tim Wellens of Lotto Soudal successfully sealed the general classification victory with a strong performance, while the remaining two podium positions shifted behind him.
While this scene looked to be right from the Giro d’Italia, it was just a few EF Education-Nippo riders warming up, kitted out in the most UCI compliant skinsuits.
A good bit of wind on the course may not have favored the 130-pound Egan Bernal.
A sixth-place finish in the time trial rocketed Ineos Grenadiers’ Michał Kwiatkowski from fourth to second in the general classification.
Vincenzo Nibali was still finding his legs in the early-season test against the clock. The Italian finished 18th on the day, and in 26th overall.
Greg Van Avermaet continued to tune his form in preparation for his Olympic road race title defense.
While there were no intermediate time checks on the 11 kilometer course, Ganna paced himself well, knowing the final kilometer was steep and technical.
The large hand grips at the ends of the cockpit extensions on Ganna’s Pinarello Bolide allowed the Italian powerhouse to not only pull back on the bars, but also help him keep an aero position when he was not cornering.
Related: Gallery: Filippo Ganna’s stage-winning Pinarello road bike
The world time trial champion raced into a 10-second victory on the day, powering through wind, and up a steep final kilometer.
Tim Wellens of Lotto Soudal lead the overall since stage 3. A fourth-place finish on the final day of racing sealed his overall win.
There was room for many on the podium on the final day of the 2021 Étoile de Bessèges.