Decision to skip Worlds looks good as Dutchman builds for Lombardia
Robert Gesink (Rabobank) won the Giro dell’Emilia for the second successive year, outclimbing a select group of riders to the finish on the fifth and last ascent up to San Luca in the city of Bologna. Dan Martin (Garmin-Transitions) took second, just a few metres behind the Dutchman, with Michele Scarponi in third.
The early kilometres of the 195.6km race were dominated by a break from Ran Margaliot (Footon-Servetto), Sébastien Fournet Fayard (Carmiooro-NGC) and Eugenio Loria (CDC-Cavaliere). The trio of riders led the race by 10’55” by the first intermediate sprint after 57km; they led over the first climb, the Mongardino, after 70km but were pulled back before they reached the summit of the longest climb of the day, the Monzuno. Fournet Fayard was the last to resist, but was captured after 115km, midway through the climb.
The peloton was together over the summit of the Monzuno, but near the bottom of the descent Marco Cattaneo (DeRosa-Stac Plastic) and Bartosz Huzarski (ISD-Neri) escaped. The pair managed to stay away until they reached the steep climb of San Luca for the first time.
A group escaped on the finishing circuits, consisting of: Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil), Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha), Oscar Pujol Munoz (Cervélo TestTeam), Simone Stortoni and Gianluca Brambilla (Colnago-CSF), Pasquale Muto (Miche) and Ludovic Turpin (AG2R-La Mondiale). The group managed to stay just ahead of the peloton, which contained most of the race favourites but was eventually caught before the last ascent to the finish, mostly thanks to work from the Liquigas-Doimo team of Vincenzo Nibali.
On the last steep climb up to the finish, Martin managed to get away on the up to 18% gradients. Gesink managed to reel in the Irishman just before the line though, justifying his decision to not travel to Australia for the World Championships and adding his name to the list of favourites for next week’s Giro di Lombardia.
Result Giro dell’Emilia
1. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank
2. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Transitions
3. Michele Scarponi (Ita) Andoni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni @ 1s
4. Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Team Katusha @ 9s
5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo @ 11s
6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago-CSF@ 13s
7. Jérôme Coppel (Fra) Saur-Sojasun @ 16s
8. Xavier Tondo (Spa) Cervélo TestTeam @ 24s
9. Riccardo Riccò (Ita) Vacansoleil @ 40s
10. Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) ISD-Neri @ 50s