Gavazzi sprints to Coppa Agostoni victory
Lampre rider pips Santambrogio on the line
Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) sprinted to victory to take the Coppa Agostoni in Lissone, Italy. The Italian outlasted his fellow countryman Mauro Santambrogio (BMC) in the finishing straight to take his third win of the season. Luca Paolini (Acqua & Sapone) rounded out the podium in third.
The race’s key moment came 42km from the finish on the final climb of the Colle Brianza, when Santambrogio’s attack brought a twenty-strong group clear of the field. Marco Pinotti (HTC-Columbia) and Andrea Tonti (Carmiooro-NGC) subsequently forced their way off the front in the finale but they struggled to stretch out an advantage over the chasers. Their bold bid for glory was ultimately snuffed out in the closing stages and it all came down to a sprint finish.
Coming into the finishing straight, Luca Paolini appeared poised for victory, but the Acqua & Sapone fastman found himself isolated and unable to make an impact. By contrast, Gavazzi was able to rely on a perfect lead-out from his teammate Simone Ponzi, and that was enough to edge out Santambrogio in the sprint.
Gavazzi comes from Morbegno in Lombardy and was thus delighted to take a win on roads so close to home, labelling it “a beautiful victory on a hard route.”
The Lampre rider explained that the Coppa Agostoni was a process of elimination from start to finish. “The race was tough from the start because the pace was so high and there were so many breakaway attempts,” Gavazzi said afterwards. “I was ready and alert when the first selection happened on the Ghisallo, and with my teammates Cunego, Pietropolli, Marzano and Ponzi we were able control the situation.”
Once he made it into the final selection, Gavazzi realised that he was capable of taking the win. “I understood that my condition was really excellent when I got into the decisive break of twenty riders on the Colle Brianza,” he said. The 26-year-old was also keen to praise his teammates. “Marzano was unbeatable for his generosity of effort and Ponzi made no mistakes in the lead-out for the sprint”.
In the finishing straight, Gavazzi was pushed all the way to take the win. “Santambrogio was a tough opponent,” said Gavazzi. “I had to stop myself from raising my arms to celebrate because otherwise Mauro would have overtaken me."
1 | Francesco Gavazzi (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini | 4:42:15 |
2 | Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) BMC Racing Team | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Luca Paolini (Ita) Acqua & Sapone | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Col) Meridiana Kamen Team | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Vladislav Borisov (Rus) Amore & Vita - Conad | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Transitions | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Leonardo Giordani (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Enrico Zen (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Serafin Martinez (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Michele Scarponi (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Jure Golcer (Slo) De Rosa - Stac Plastic | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Marco Pinotti (Ita) Team HTC - Columbia | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr) Team HTC - Columbia | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Cristiano Salerno (Ita) De Rosa - Stac Plastic | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Simone Ponzi (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Andrea Tonti (Ita) Carmiooro NGC | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Massimo Codol (Ita) Acqua & Sapone | 0:00:26 |
20 | Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini | 0:00:45 |
21 | Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini | 0:05:25 |
22 | Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Fortunato Baliani (Ita) Miche | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Transitions | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Tomaz Nose (Slo) Adria Mobil | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Carlos José Ochoa (Ven) Androni Giocattoli | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Giuseppe Muraglia (Ita) CDC - Cavaliere | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Pasquale Muto (Ita) Miche | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Giampaolo Cheula (Ita) Footon-Servetto | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Francesco Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Emanuele Sella (Ita) Carmiooro NGC | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
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