Filippo Ganna takes second consecutive stage with final time trial victory at Étoile Bessèges

Tim Wellens secured the overall victory as three Brits finished inside the top 10

(Photo by Luc Claessen/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
By Jonny Long
published

Filippo Ganna took his second win in as many days with victory in the final stage five time trial at Étoile Bességes.

The world time trial champion beat Groupama-FDJ's Benjamin Thomas by 10 seconds, while Ganna's Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Ethan Hayter took third, 21 seconds back.

It was a good day for the Brits, with three top 10 finishes after Owain Doull was the fourth Ineos rider to make the top 10 (Michał Kwiatkowski was sixth) while Jake Stewart (Groupama-FDJ) rounded out the top 10, 41 seconds off Ganna's time.

Tim Wellens finished fourth and secured the overall victory following the time taken in his stage three win. Kwiatkowski's effort moved him up to second, 53 seconds in arrears of the top spot, as Nils Politt gained third. Stewart just missed out on the podium, finishing fourth and only three seconds behind the German.

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Ganna opened his 2021 stage racing account in much the same way he ended 2020. A trio of time trial victories at the Giro d'Italia followed his time trial world title victory in Imola. The Italian will now go on to race the UAE Tour at the end of the month before lining up for Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan - San Remo.

Results

Étoile de Bessèges, stage five (ITT): Alès to Alès (10.74km)

1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers, in 15-00

2. Benjamin Thomas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 10 seconds

3. Ethan Hayter (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 21s

4. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, at 29s

5. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, at 31s

6. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers, at 34s

7. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education-Nippo, at 35s

8. Owain Doull (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 38s

9. Nils Politt (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at same time

10. Jake Stewart (GBr) Groupama-FDJ, at 41s

Final general classification

1. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, in

2. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers, at 53 seconds

3. Nils Politt (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 59s

4. Jake Stewart (GBr) Groupama-FDJ, at 1-02

5. Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Israel Start-Up Nation, at 1-19

6. Michael Gogl (Aut) Qhubeka-Assos, at 1-24

7. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) AG2r Citroën, at 1-25

8. Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-36

9. Clément Carisey (Fra) DELKO, at 1-41

10. Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Intermarché - Wanty Gobert Matériaux, at 1-45

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Jonny Long

Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.


Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).


I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.

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