Filippo Ganna described Paris-Roubaix as a game of Russian roulette, but insisted he was ready to fight on every cobbled section to take home the famous winner's trophy.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider opted to train at home in Italy instead of taking an extended stay at the Tour of Flanders or in Northern Europe. He will do a solo reconnaissance ride after last week's Doir Door Hlaanderen and will travel to France only on Friday.

Ganna's prowess on the track and in time trials is well known, and he proved his classic ability in Milan-San Remo by finishing second in Poggio to Tadei Poguchar's attack.

"If I go into the battle relaxed, I think I can achieve a good result. Of course you can't predict anything in Roubaix, but I want to do my best. I think Roubaix will change my life and leave its mark on the history of the sport," Gana told the French newspaper L'Equipe.

"I dream of finishing with the Pavé trophy in my hands, but it won't be easy. But it won't be easy, I'm going to fight for every single meter, for every single victory. I'm ready."

Ganna won the under-23 Paris-Roubaix in 2016 and has a physique that can run on the rough French pavement, but he seems to have a love-hate relationship with Paris-Roubaix.

"Paris-Roubaix is like having a gun to your head, it's like playing Russian roulette. Every time you pull the trigger, you pray the bullet doesn't come out," he joked.

"People say Roubaix is a great race, but I can't say that. It's fun for people watching on TV or from the side of the road in a campervan, but I can't say I like the riders. You have to be a little crazy to like Roubaix. [But like great champions of the past like Moser and Merckx, everyone wants to win to make cycling history.

Ganna did his final Paris-Roubaix reconnaissance ride last week, a day after competing in the Doire de France-Deren.

"I rode the entire cobblestone sector, 175 km," Ganna noted, logging five hours in the saddle to memorize key sectors and understand when he needed to be near the front.

"I then spent two days recovering. I also had daily massages to recharge my batteries since the race was quite intense. Then I started working with my coach Dario Cioni to tune up for Roubaix."

Ganna repeated the training, mixing torque power work with race-simulation intervals while riding long rides through the rolling hills near his home on the Italian-Swiss border. Everything was planned for Paris-Roubaix, including a final taper later in the week.

"The effort you have to make in Paris-Roubaix is one or two minutes. It's not like a sprint or a time trial, it's more like two minutes on the track," Ganna explained.

Tom Pidcock is already focused on the Ardennes Classics, while Ben Turner is out with a broken arm from the Tour de Flanders. Ganna will lead the Ineos Grenadiers on Sunday.

Luke Rowe will provide racing experience as road captain, while Magnus Sheffield, 18-year-old Josh Tarling, and Kim Haiduk will line up with Michal Kwiatkowski and Connor Swift.

Ineos Grenadiers tried to split the peloton early last year, and Ganna took the lead after the crucial Allenberg Forest section.

This year Ganna is fitter, stronger, and more classically focused, with the full support of his team. He will be a great competitor for Mathieu Van der Pol, Wout Van Aert, and anyone else who wants to be a part of the team.

"I have great teammates who help me. They trust me and in Milano-Sanremo I was able to prove that their work was not in vain. I expect to be seen as the leader of Roubaix as well," Ganna said modestly, but at the same time he felt it was his chance to make his own cycling history and win the famous cobbled trophy on Sunday.