Pozzovivo prevails on mountain top finish

Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox) proved he's the strongest climber at the Brixia Tour today as he soloed to victory atop the category 1 Passo Maniva. Daniel Martin (Garmin - Transitions) finished second, 53 seconds back, while Morris Possoni (Team Sky) followed one second later for third place.

The win is Pozzovivo's second of the race and enabled the 27-year-old Italian to extend his overall lead to 1:50 over Possoni. Martin's performance on the stage moves the Irishman into third on general classification, 2:39 behind Pozzovivo.

"At 10 km from the finish, at the start of the climb, I thought that sometimes the best defense is to attack, so I did," said Pozzovivo. "The team did a tremendous job today and the best way to repay them was to win again.

"I dedicate this victory to my mother, her birthday is today and then the dedication is for her."

"The team worked all day," said Colnago-CSF Inox directeur sportif Roberto Reverberi. "We kept the attack of the day always around three minutes and brought them back prior to the foot of the [final] climb. After a kilometer of pace-making from [Alberto] Contoli and [Federico] Canuti, Pozzovivo made his move. He gained [his lead] gradually, getting a wonderful victory that makes us very happy."

The Brixia Tour concludes on Sunday, covering 179.5km from Chiari to Orzinuovi.