Pozzato picks up much-needed win
All-Italian podium in Monteveglio
Filippo Pozzato has salvaged something from his 2011 season with a well-deserved win in the Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli, making a daring late-race attack to solo to victory, 19 seconds ahead of countrymen Manuel Belletti (Colnago-CSF Inox) and Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli).
"I'm very happy to be back to winning," said Pozzato. "I needed it in order to erase a long, bad period, in which I suffered from some serious injuries, too.
"I want to thank a lot my teammates, especially [Luca] Paolini. Thanks to his brilliant work, the followers' group slowed down its chase, so I was able to win quite easily."
The first attack of the day came after 18km from Luxembourger Ben Gastauer (AG2R La Mondiale), who amassed an advantage of 5:40 after 32km of the race. He was joined later by Leonardo Pinizzotto (Miche–Guerciotti) and Diego Caccia (Farnese Vini–Neri Sottoli) and over the next 110km another 15 chasers made their way up the road.
Bauke Mollema and Grischa Niermann (Rabobank), Maxime Monfort and Oliver Zaugg (Leopard Trek) Pozzato and Luca Paolini (Katusha), Maurizio Gorato (Geox-TMC), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli), Manuel Belletti (Colnago-CSF Inox), Francesco Di Paolo, Alessandro Donati, Claudio Corioni and Fabio Taborre (Acqua & Sapone) and Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (D'Angelo & Antenucci – Nippo) fled the peloton to form a star-studded breakaway that would eventually fight for line honours.
The instigator, Gastauer, and Pinizzotto eventually paid for their efforts and lost contact with the front group before Pozzato kicked into action on the final climb, attacking his companions in the break and holding steady to ensure he crossed the line solo for his first win this season.
Full Results
1 | Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Katusha Team | 4:39:08 |
2 | Manuel Belletti (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | 0:00:19 |
3 | Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Col) d'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Fabio Taborre (Ita) Acqua & Sapone | 0:00:21 |
7 | Maxime Monfort (Bel) Leopard Trek | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Leopard Trek | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ | 0:00:22 |
10 | Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Rafai Chtioui (Tun) Acqua & Sapone | 0:00:24 |
12 | Omar Bertazzo (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Fabio Felline (Ita) Geox-TMC | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Alessandro Donati (Ita) Acqua & Sapone | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Elia Favilli (Ita) Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Davide Rebellin (Ita) Miche - Guerciotti | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Andrea Piechele (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Ermanno Capelli (Ita) Team Vorarlberg | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Leopard Trek | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Reto Hollenstein (Swi) Team Vorarlberg | 0:00:25 |
22 | Giuseppe Di Salvo (Ita) Miche - Guerciotti | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Pro Team Astana | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Leopard Trek | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Team Garmin-Cervelo | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Sky Procycling | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Paolo Bailetti (Ita) De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Rémi Pauriol (Fra) FDJ | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Riccardo Chiarini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) Geox-TMC | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Grischa Niermann (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Kjell Carlström (Fin) Sky Procycling | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Josef Benetseder (Aut) Team Vorarlberg | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Saxo Bank Sungard | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Saxo Bank Sungard | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre - ISD | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Rafal Majka (Pol) Saxo Bank Sungard | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Bruno Pires (Por) Leopard Trek | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Stefan Denifl (Aut) Leopard Trek | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Sacha Modolo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) FDJ | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Mirko Tedeschi (Ita) Lampre - ISD | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Alexander Zdanov (Rus) d'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) FDJ | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Oleg Berdos (Mda) De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Thomas Peterson (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Pro Team Astana | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Xabier Zandio Echaide (Spa) Sky Procycling | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Daniel Martin (Irl) Team Garmin-Cervelo | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Alan Marangoni (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Claudio Corioni (Ita) Acqua & Sapone | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Dominik Hrinkow (Aut) Team Vorarlberg | Row 59 - Cell 2 |
61 | Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Col) Acqua & Sapone | Row 60 - Cell 2 |
62 | Volodymyr Bileka (Ukr) Amore & Vita | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Vladislav Borisov (Rus) Amore & Vita | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Petr Ignatenko (Rus) Katusha Team | 0:01:09 |
65 | Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr) Lampre - ISD | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
66 | Patrik Moren (Swe) Amore & Vita | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | Gianluca Maggiore (Ita) De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
68 | Enrico Montanari (Ita) WIT | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
69 | Brian Vandborg (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Damiano Margutti (Ita) De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
71 | Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
72 | Giairo Ermeti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli | 0:01:13 |
73 | Maurizio Gorato (Ita) Geox-TMC | 0:01:17 |
74 | Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
75 | Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz) Pro Team Astana | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
76 | Mathieu Perget (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 75 - Cell 2 |
77 | Diego Caccia (Ita) Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli | Row 76 - Cell 2 |
78 | Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale | Row 77 - Cell 2 |
79 | Evgeny Petrov (Rus) Pro Team Astana | Row 78 - Cell 2 |
80 | Francesco Di Paolo (Ita) Acqua & Sapone | Row 79 - Cell 2 |
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