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Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) surrendered the previous time trial to Pogacar on Stage 7 but finished strong on this occasion with a time the overall leader could not catch in Desenzano del Garda.
The flatter, 31.2-kilometre route favoured time trial specialists, and Ganna took full advantage with a time of 35 minutes and two seconds – 29 seconds quicker than Pogacar.
Confirmation of the Italian’s victory came more than two hours after he’d crossed the finish line due to the staggered nature of each rider’s release, meaning Pogacar was last to compete.
“Today I suffered a lot,” Ganna said after the stage. “I was just speaking with Jonathan Milan. For him, it’s 70 seconds in the sprint and then you know immediately if you win or not.
“Today, I had to wait two hours.”
Despite his defeat, Pogacar’s time – quick enough for second place ahead of Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) – was enough to extend his lead at the top of the general classification.
The Slovenian now sits 3’41” in front of Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), with Daniel Felipe Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) a further 15 seconds back, followed by Australian Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) in fourth.
O’Connor produced the seventh-fastest time on Stage 14, with compatriot Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) seven seconds faster in fifth.
Nevertheless, the pair were unable to keep pace with Ganna in what was the seventh stage win of his career and the first since 2021.
“In the end, (I’m) a little bit blocked with emotions because to win in Italy after a long time without a win is a really intense moment,” Ganna said.
“It’s nice to be here and to also see G [Geraint Thomas] arrive really well for the GC,” he added.
“We keep going for more seconds. Tomorrow, it’s a really intense day and we need to fight with the heart and with the head.”
