14th place, four seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard: Lennard Kämna impressed on Monday (March 4th, 2024) in the time trial at the start of the traditional Tirreno-Adriatico long-distance cycling trip. But he didn’t drive as well as last year.
Kämna from the Bora-hansgrohe team finished 14th in the ten-kilometer individual time trial in Lido di Camaiore on Monday. The 27-year-old was 26 seconds slower than winner Juan Ayuso from Spain, who surprisingly distanced top favorite Filippo Ganna by one second.
A year ago, in a similarly long battle against the clock, Kämna came second behind winner Ganna at the same place and came fourth at the end of the tour.
“It was a short but tough time trial. I did my best. We are here with three captains and we will try to be on the podium at the end”said Kamna. In addition to the German, who wants to finish overall at the Giro d’Italia this year, the Colombian Dani Martinez and the Australian Jai Hindley are in the leader’s role at Bora.
Four seconds behind favorite Vingegaard
When it comes to the overall ranking, a lot is possible for Kämna. He was only four seconds slower than Jonas Vingegaard. The Danish Tour de France winner is the big favorite in the race between the seas, although the gap to Ayuso will also be a challenge for him.
Last year, Kämna’s current teammate Primoz Roglic won, and this year he is starting in the parallel Paris-Nice race. Tadej Pogacar is taking a break after his impressive triumph at the spring classic Strade Bianche.
Day two will be one for the sprinters
Tuesday is a day for the sprinters. There is only one mountain classification to overcome on the 199 kilometers from Camaiore to Follonica. The last 60 kilometers are almost completely flat.
The week-long long-distance journey, which takes the peloton from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic coast, ends on Sunday in San Benedetto del Tronto.