Cummings confirmed that he was riding for the Norwegian when he sat on the late attack but could not resist going for victory in the final kilometres. The former team pursuit rider took alone and never looked back, winning alone, 13 seconds ahead of local resident Salvatore Puccio (Team Sky), who understandably banged his handlebars in frustration after finishing second.
“With three kilometres to go the win was served on a plate to me and so I took it,” Cummings explained in the past-stage press conference.
“We were riding for Edvald because he’s started off the season really strong but he hasn’t taken a big win yet. With 10km to go I was marking the other guys, acting as a policeman and closing the gaps to make sure nobody got away. I was fortunate the get in the move but I was not allowed to pull.”
“I’m really happy we won because the team was strong. We had two riders behind me who controlled things. It’s a great team victory.”
Click here to subscribe to the Cyclingnews video channel.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
