Filippo Ganna believes 57km is possible as he reveals trigger for new Hour Record attempt

Speaking to reporters, including Domestique, ahead of the Tour of Britain, the Netcompany-Ineos rider reflected on the effort that set a new benchmark and revealed the one scenario that could tempt him back to the track.

Ganna has held the Hour Record since 8 October 2022, when he covered 56.792 kilometres at the Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland. More than three years on, he has little interest in improving that mark himself, unless someone else takes it from him first.

“If they beat mine, I try to beat the other boys,” Ganna said. “But at the moment, beat myself? No. It’s enough like this.”

That does not mean he believes 56.792 kilometres is the limit. Asked whether advances in aerodynamics and technology could make 57 kilometres possible, the Italian did not dismiss the idea.

“It could be. We see. Maybe we try in the future,” he said, laughing when asked when that might be. “Not now.”

For now, Ganna seems happy to leave the record where it is. The memory of what it took to get there is still clear, particularly the final quarter of the hour, when the effort began to bite.

“That is the moment when I passed the 45 minutes, where it is properly cut off, and started to feel pain everywhere,” he recalled. “It was a really brutal moment.”

The discomfort only disappeared once the effort was over and Ganna realised he had done enough to take the record.

“When I crossed the line and I realised it was the victory and I made a new record, it made me really happy and proud of that win.”

With more than three years to look back on the ride, Ganna also has a clearer idea of how he might approach another attempt. If he were to return to the velodrome, he would be more measured through the middle of the hour rather than pushing too hard before the final 15 minutes.

“I try to be more conservative from 30 to 45 minutes,” he explained. “Don’t try to go over that and then, in the final, try to keep over the pacing.”

Whether Ganna ever gets to put that revised pacing strategy into practice will depend on someone first taking his record away.

Only one rider has officially taken aim at his mark since he set it in October 2022. Charlie Tanfield attempted the record in Konya in August 2025, but the Briton covered 53.967 kilometres, almost three kilometres short of Ganna’s 56.792km benchmark.

“For sure, it is something we can try in the future if someone beats my record,” Ganna said. “I can come back and try.”

If that day comes, he will also know exactly what is waiting for him. Asked what he remembered as the hardest part of the attempt, Ganna did not point to the preparation or the mental strain, but to the discomfort of holding the same position for an hour.

After around 45 minutes, he said, parts of his body had gone numb and even a small movement could bring the pain straight back.

“You need to properly be stiff,” he said. “It’s not easy.”

For the moment, though, Ganna has more immediate targets on the road. His focus now turns to the Tour of Britain, where the opening stage finishes with a tough climb that has already caught his attention.

“Today is the first day. It’s one of the most interesting,” he said. “With this climb in the final, it is very intensive and brutal, but at the same time it’s very nice.”

For now, Ganna’s focus is on the road. The Hour Record is a challenge he is happy to leave alone, at least until someone else decides to move the mark.