Gran Piemonte 2018 [FULL RACE]

October 11, 2018

Gran Piemonte 2018 – Racconici – Stupinigi : 191 km

The Giro del Piemonte, since 2009 known also as Gran Piemonte, is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is usually held a few days before the more important race Giro di Lombardia.

Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) won a rain-soaked edition of Gran Piemonte on Thursday, taking a well-executed victory on a messy run to the line in Stupinigi.

The Italian, who won the Coppa Bernocchi last month along with finishing runner-up at the GP de Montreal and Coppa Sabatini, was the favourite for the victory on the largely flat course, though the weather conditions would always complicate matters in a race that has seen late attackers spring surprises on the peloton in recent years.

Jens Keukeleire (Lotto Soudal) rolled the dice in the final couple of kilometres and although he didn’t succeed in holding onto his advantage, the bunch duly split on the approach to the line. Colbrelli was alert and found himself up front with a teammate and, sensing hesitation from those around him, opened up his sprint from range.

He quickly opened up a big gap and the victory was in the bag, with Florian Senechal (Quick-Step Floors) finishing second and Davide Ballerini (Androni) taking the final spot on the podium.

“With 350m to go, I decided to go for it. That’s my style, and I just said, ‘if they pass me, they pass me’,” said Colbrelli.

“I’m very happy to end this season with a victory. It was very dangerous, there were crashes, but when it’s wet, it’s always like that.”

The long-running Italian one-day race was back in its usual slot this year after being packaged up as part of the Italian national championships last year on an altogether hillier affair won by Fabio Aru.

Despite the flatter nature of the parcours, the likes of Jan Bakelants and Rigoberto Uran had upset the sprinters in the previous couple of editions. Even when it has ended in a sprint, it has rarely been clean, full-peloton affair. The weather only added to the list of complications as the rain fell all day in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, leaving the peloton heavily reduced as it approached the finish.

A breakaway formed in the opening kilometres, with Joey Rosskopf (BMC Racing Team), Mikkel Frolich Honoré (Quick-Step Floors), Matteo Sobrero (Dimension Data) and Filippo Ganna (UAE Team Emirates) opening up a lead of a few minutes before being kept on a relatively tight leash.

That was cause for Lotto Soudal to execute what was almost a full-team attack as Keukeleire, Tim Wellens, Tiesj Benoot, Thomas De Gendt, and Maxime Monfort all went clear from the bunch. With Cyrus Monk (EF-Drapac) and Nikita Stalnov (Astana) tagging on, they made their way across to the breakway to make it a group of 11 out front.

At that point, the gap was small, and there was an inevitable reaction in the peloton, and the race all came back together with 68km to go. Matti Breschel (EF-Drapac) and Marco Marcato (UAE Team Emirates) went on the move and were later joined by Davide Ballerini (Androni Sidermec) and Andriy Grivko (Astana). When Ballereini and Grivko crashed, and Marcato was held up, Breschel was forced into a solo effort.

With just under 50km to go, he had company once more as Grivko, refusing to give in, set off from the peloton once more. The partnership only lasted 8km, though, as Breschel couldn’t hold the pace and Grivko was left alone.

The Ukranian put up a brave fight and had a lead of a minute at one point, but the game was up with 13km to go as Bahrain-Merida and Bardiani-CSF took control of the peloton.

Julien Vermote (Dimension Data) had a tentative dig off the front in the closing kilometres but Keukeleire sparked real danger with his attack 1.5km out. Colbrelli was up near the front and had a teammate to help shut the gap, and a group of 10 entered the final 500 metres to contest the victory.

Colbrelli could have waited, but he sensed an opportunity and boldly went from range. Senechal was looking over his other shoulder at the time and was left with the bitter taste of regret. “I’m happy,” he said, “but I could have won that.”

Results :
1 Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida 4:20:50
2 Florian Senechal (Fra) Quick-Step Floors
3 Davide Ballerini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
4 Jhonatan Restrepo Valencia (Col) Katusha-Alpecin
5 Riccardo Minali (Ita) Astana Pro Team
6 Manuel Belletti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
7 Christoph Pfingsten (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
8 Andrea Guardini (Ita) Bardiani CSF
9 Barnabás Peák (Hun) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:02
10 Simone Velasco (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
11 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
12 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Lotto Soudal
13 Diego Rosa (Ita) Team Sky
14 Omer Goldshtein (Isr) Israel-Cycling Academy
15 Alexandr Kulikovskiy (Rus) Gazprom–Rusvelo
16 Willem Jakobus Smit (RSA) Katusha-Alpecin
17 Filippo Ganna (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
18 Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF
19 Cyrus Monk (Aus) Drapac Ef P/B Cannondale Holistic Development Team
20 Julien Vermote (Bel) Dimension Data
21 Mikkel Frølich Honoré (Den) Team Waoo
22 German Nicolas Tivani Perez (Arg) Trevigiani Phonix – Hemus 1896
23 José Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team
24 Sebastian Schönberger (Aut) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
25 Matteo Sobrero (Ita) Dimension Data
26 Evgeny Kobernyak (Rus) Gazprom–Rusvelo
27 Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Israel-Cycling Academy
28 Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Katusha-Alpecin
29 Roman Maikin (Rus) Gazprom–Rusvelo
30 Michael Bresciani (Ita) Bardiani CSF
31 Marco Benfatto (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec 0:00:12
32 Kristijan Koren (Slo) Bahrain-Merida 0:00:14
33 James Shaw (GBr) Lotto Soudal 0:00:16
34 Joseph Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:17
35 Nelson Oliveira (Por) Movistar Team
36 Michal Golas (Pol) Team Sky
37 Marco Marcato (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:27
38 Johann Van Zyl (RSA) Dimension Data 0:00:32
39 Freddy Ovett (Aus) Australian Cycling Academy – Ride Sunshine Coast
40 Simone Petilli (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
41 Andrey Zeits (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
42 Mattia Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
43 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
44 Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Bardiani CSF
45 Alexander Evans (Aus) Mobius Bridgelane
46 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) BMC Racing Team
47 Vladislav Kulikov (Rus) Gazprom–Rusvelo
48 Christian Knees (Ger) Team Sky
49 Andrea Garosio (Ita) D’amico Utensilnord
50 Matti Breschel (Den) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
51 Sergey Lagutin (Rus) Gazprom–Rusvelo
52 Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky
53 Dayer Quintana (Col) Movistar Team
54 Sebastian Henao Gomez (Col) Team Sky
55 Dylan Teuns (Bel) BMC Racing Team
56 Andrey Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team
57 Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) BMC Racing Team 0:00:37
58 Pieter Serry (Bel) Quick-Step Floors 0:00:39
59 Guy Niv (Isr) Israel-Cycling Academy
60 Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe
61 José Gonçalves (Por) Katusha-Alpecin
62 Nikita Stalnov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
63 Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Spa) Bahrain-Merida
64 Hector Carretero (Spa) Movistar Team
65 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
66 Marco Frapporti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
67 Winner Andrew Anacona (Col) Movistar Team
68 Matteo Badilatti (Swi) Team Vorarlberg Santic
69 Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF
70 Filippo Zaccanti (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini 0:00:44
71 Stephen Cummings (GBr) Dimension Data
72 Sacha Modolo (Ita) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
73 Luis León Sanchez (Spa) Astana Pro Team
74 Carlos Betancur (Col) Movistar Team
75 Awet Andemeskel (Eri) Israel-Cycling Academy
76 Manuele Mori (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:48
77 Jan Hirt (Cze) Astana Pro Team
78 Luca Raggio (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
79 Edward Ravasi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03
80 Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:01:35
81 Eros Capecchi (Ita) Quick-Step Floors 0:01:45
82 Jaime Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar Team
83 Evgeny Shalunov (Rus) Gazprom–Rusvelo 0:01:50
84 Mirco Maestri (Ita) Bardiani CSF 0:02:06
85 Maxim Pirard (Bel) Bahrain-Merida 0:03:11
DNS Pawel Poljanski (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNS Marco Canola (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNS Edoardo Zardini (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec
DNF Sergei Chernetski (Rus) Astana Pro Team
DNF Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team
DNF Davide Formolo (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Sergey Firsanov (Rus) Gazprom–Rusvelo
DNF Jose Manuel Diaz Gallego (Spa) Israel-Cycling Academy
DNF Ruben Plaza (Spa) Israel-Cycling Academy
DNF Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Bjorg Lambrecht (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Joan Bou Company (Spa) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Eduard Michael Grosu (Rom) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Spa) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Simone Ponzi (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Marco Tizza (Ita) Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini
DNF Kasper Asgreen (Den) Quick-Step Floors
DNF Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data
DNF Mekseb Debesay (Eri) Dimension Data
DNF Joseph Lloyd Dombrowski (USA) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
DNF José Fernandes Neves (Por) W52/Fc Porto
DNF Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin
DNF Robert Kišerlovski (Cro) Katusha-Alpecin
DNF Simon Špilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin
DNF Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) Team Sky
DNF David De La Cruz Melgarejo (Spa) Team Sky
DNF Rory Sutherland (Aus) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Miguel Eduardo Florez Lopez (Col) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Ilia Koshevoy (Blr) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia
DNF Nicholas Rinaldi (Ita) Wilier Triestina-Selle Italia