Magnus Sheffield proved his talent once again after the opening time trial of Tirreno-Adriatico, giving Ineos Grenadiers a second leader's jersey and a leadership option.

The 20-year-old American finished 31 seconds behind teammate and stage winner Filippo Ganna, but just three seconds behind second-place finisher Leonardo Camuna (Bora-Hansgrohe).

Sheffield won De Brabantse Pijl last spring and is part of the Ineos Grenadiers "next generation" group in the Classics. But he can also climb and stage race, as he did at the Tour Down Under in January, where he finished fourth overall.

This year's Tirreno-Adriatico is not only an important race before the spring classics, but also a test of Sheffield's stage racing prowess. He also replaced Gerna Thomas in the Strade Bianche, and if Gana stalls on the climbs, Sheffield could become the de facto leader of the Ineos Grenadiers.

For now, the American is content to pull on the white jersey of the best young rider and time the big overall contenders.

"I'm pretty happy with this result, a sharp turnaround from Strade Bianche," Sheffield told Cycling News as he crossed the finish line on the rain-soaked Lido di Camaiore beachfront.

"I knew I had good legs, but I didn't know what would happen today. Sheffield expected to lose to Ganna, but he didn't like being taken off the hot seat by Kamuna, who held the best time for most of the afternoon.

"I was close to winning a couple of time trials. Honestly, I hate being on the hot seat and losing," he said with a mixture of laughter and seriousness.

"It's like a time bomb. It makes for a good televised show, but you never know if it's going to go off, if you're going to win or get kicked out of the hot seat."

Sheffield's young age and inexperience may place him low in the pecking order of the Ineos Grenadiers, but he is still ambitious.

The British team has Gana in the blue leader's jersey, Sheffield in 31 seconds, and the talented Tymen Arensman in 41 seconds. Tao Geoghegan Hart is 18th in 52 seconds and Strade Bianche winner Tom Pidcock is 71st in 1:26.

The British superteam will defend Ganna's lead, but Sheffield also definitely deserves a protected role.

"I'm filling in for Geraint Thomas a little later, but I think I'm climbing pretty well, even if I'm here to support the other guys," he said modestly.

"Having said that, I think it's important to hold as many cards as possible, especially in a race like this. So we'll see how the week goes."

Sheffield is more focused and more openly ambitious for the spring classics. His victory at De Brabantse Pijl last year was impressive, and he has big goals for 2023.

"I think I have the ability to win big classics and I want to go for it.

"Last season I went from strength to strength throughout the Classic season.

"Winning last season took a lot of pressure off me. But I think we can use this as a confidence builder going into the spring."