The 8th Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali was off to a quick start, with the sprinters battling it out in the unusual morning hours. Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas) was the most awake of the fast men, taking the victory ahead of his two Italian compatriots, Mattia Gavazzi (Preti Mangimi) and Danilo Napolitano (Lampre). Robert Förster (Gerolsteiner) finished fourth. Chicchi is showing good form, having also won the last stage of Tirreno-Adriatico recently.
The reason for the early stage is the 'double-dose', with a team time trial over 11.8 kilometres scheduled for the afternoon.
