Viviani wins the Coppa Bernocchi

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Elia Viviani (Cannondale) claimed victory in the Coppa Bernocchi after unleashing a devastating sprint finish to see off the challenge of Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) and Simone Ponzi (Neri Sottoli) in Legnano.

"I wanted to this win and the team gave me fundamental support to do so," Viviani said afterwards. "Sabatini and Sagan forced the pace for me on the Piccolo Stelvio because I knew I had good legs."

Viviani has been linked with a move to Team Sky instead of the merged Cannondale-Slipstream squad in 2015, and his last race in lime green looks set to be the Memorial Pantani on Saturday. Indeed, it will be the final outing of Viviani's season, as he has not been selected for the world championships in Ponferrada.

"It's a pity that I've shown myself a bit late to the national coach [Davide] Cassani and I haven't been able to earn a place in the pre-selection," he said.

Cassani was on hand at the Coppa Bernocchi, the first race of the Trittico Lombardo, and he will have been heartened by the performance of the man expected to lead Italy in Ponferrada, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). In his first appearance since winning the Tour de France, the Sicilian finished in the leading group of 21 riders that contested the win.

The race began at a blistering pace, with some 48 kilometres covered in the first hour alone as Caleb Ewan (Australia), Juan Pablo Valencia (Colombia), Kenny De Ketele (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) and Jaroslaw Marycz (CCC Polsat) broke clear of the peloton.

The quartet broke up but later reunited on the earlier of the seven laps over the climb of the Piccolo Stelvio, and they established a maximum lead of ten minutes over the peloton before the Astana and Cannondale squads set about leading the chase.

Ivan Basso was among those working on the front for Cannondale in the service of Viviani and Peter Sagan, and by the last ascent of the Piccolo Stelvio, the front group had been reduced to just 22 riders. Nibali, Pozzato and Sagan were among them, along with Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida), who was making his first appearance since he was cleared to return to action following his adverse analytical finding for salbutamol at the Giro d’Italia.

Ewan and Valencia were the final survivors from the day’s early break and they were swept up on the final approach to Legnano with just 15 kilometres remaining. In the run-in to the finish, Nibali set Italian hearts aflutter by launching a couple of attacks, and then putting in long turns on the front to ensure that the select leading group stayed clear.

In the finishing straight, Sagan sacrificed himself for Viviani, and the Cannondale fast man duly unleashed a ferocious sprint to take victory ahead of Pozzato and Ponzi. "I thought I could beat Viviani and I was convinced I would when Sagan went, but Viviani did a great sprint," Pozzato said, according to Tuttobici.

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