Tuscan climber escapes the favourites to take hilly Swiss race
Eros Capecchi (Liquigas-Cannondale) won the GP Lugano, in the Swiss lakeside city, after a final lap attack that escaped the rest of the leading group. The 25-year-old Umbrian jumped away on the final climb with 4km to go, opening up a lead of half a minute, and managed to hold on to win alone by five seconds. Triple Lombardia winner Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD) took second, at the head of the thirteen-strong chase group, with exciting neo-pro Enrico Battaglin (Colnago-CSF Inox) in third at the end of the hilly 178.5km race.
“That was a victory I really wanted, because I had some really positive feelings in [the Trofeo] Laigueglia that I wanted to realise today.
“The advice from the team was to wait until the last lap where I would try and attack,” Capecchi explained. “The terrain was good, and it was only necessary to wait for the right time. At 100 metres from the top of the climb I put my head down and I went with the intention of creating a major gap. I knew I was feeling good and in the final kilometres I just had to hold on.
“Everything went the right way and I am very, very happy,” he added. “I want to dedicate this success to the team,” Capecchi continued, “which has shown great confidence in me, and to my family and friends who are always with me. Now I am looking forward to the Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico.”
After just 4km Alexander Rybakov (Katusha), Sano Junya (Team Nippo), Bernhad Oberholzer (Atlas Personal), Marko Barbin (Meridiana-Kamen) and Andrea Palini (Team Idea) escaped, and were allowed to build an advantage of 5’10” by the 22km point. The Utensilnord Named team was pulling the front of the peloton over the hilly course though, and the five riders were back in the fold after 91km.
Ten kilometres later, Federico Rocchetti (Utensilnord Named), Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli) and Luca Barla (Team Idea) were the next ones to go; they too were allowed to build a lead, which reached 2’25” after 127km; with the Lampre-ISD team leading the chase though, the gap soon began to come down.
With 20km to go Rocchetti dropped the other two, but all three riders were back in the fold just 2km later.
Into the final 10km there were attacks from Colnago-CSF Inox riders Stefano Pirazzi and Domenico Pozzovivo, but the main group was being led by Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) and neither was able to get clear. The pace set pulled a group of 16 riders clear, only for Capecchi to launch his winning move on the final climb with 4km to go; a crash for Scarponi helped keep the chasers at bay, while another crash brought down fifth placed Mauro Santambrogio (BMC Racing), some 20 metres after the finish line.
Result GP Lugano
1. Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
2. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-ISD @ 5s
3. Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Colnago-CSF Inox
4. Matej Gnezda (Slo) Adria Mobil
5. Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) BMC Racing Team
6. Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Colnago-CSF Inox
7. Francesco Reda (Ita) Acqua & Sapone
8. Fabio Felline (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela
9. Matej Mugerli (Slo) Adria Mobil
10. Giuseppe De Maria (Ita) Team Idea