Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) added another one-day race victory to his palmarès at the Coppa Sabatini, soloing home from 37km out at the hilly Italian semi-Classic.
The Swiss rider scored his fourth race win in a row and the 20th of his career after going clear over the closing circuit hill of the Via Mazzini in Peccioli (1.4km at 5.8%) after 160km of racing, leaving the peloton behind and pulling out a gap over half a minute on the run to the finish line.
Gregor Mühlberger (Movistar) scored second place from the sprint in the chasing group 28 seconds back, while Anders Foldager (Jayco-AlUla) took third place.
“I knew the race, I knew it was demanding and I wanted to try this move from afar. I found myself alone in front and I pushed full throttle to prevent them from coming back from behind, I immediately managed to gain about 40 seconds and I managed to win," Hirschi said in a press release from race organisers.
"This is a victory that added to last Sunday’s in Larciano confirms my positive condition on the road to the World Championship in Zürich, at my home, in Switzerland."
Hirschi launched his bid for victory just as the day’s breakaway, formed in the early stages of the race, was being brought back. Lorenzo Milesi (Movistar), Carlos García Pierna (Kern Pharma), Davide Bais (Polti-Kometa), Alexandre Balmer (Corratec-Vini Fantini) were the men in question, with Balmer hanging on the longest as the Swiss rider pushed past to lead the race into the final kilometres.
His UAE team had led the chase, hoping to support Hirschi in his bid to add to recent wins at the Donostia Klasikoa, Bretagne Classic and GP Larciano. Behind him, Davide Formolo (Movistar) briefly gave chase alongside Balmer before both were brought back.
Diego Ulissi controlled the situation behind for Hirschi, though a group of chasers formed as the race hit the final 30km. Foldager was in the move along with Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan), Orluis Aular (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and others, but Hirschi was only increasing his advantage.
Heading into the final lap of 12km, he enjoyed a 40-second lead over a chase group including Mühlberger, Foldager, Kristian Sbaragli (Corratec-Vini Fantini) and Axel Huens (TDT-Unibet), while the peloton lay 1:30 adrift.
With the result pretty much set already, those behind began to think about the podium fight, while up front Hirschi could enjoy his victory solo. Half a minute later, Mühlberger had the best legs in the sprint finish at the end of 197km of racing, delivering second place ahead of Foldager, Sbaragli, and Huens.
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