Gilbert repeats at Gran Piemonte

Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) repeated his victory at the Gran Piemonte race with a text-book solo attack in the final kilometre that took his rivals by surprise. Italy's Leonardo Bertagnolli (Androni Giocattoli) finished second and Matti Breschel (Saxo Bank) was third. Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) was fourth but again missed out on victory.

Gilbert won the Italian race in 2009 before going on to dominate the Tour of Lombardy and must now be favourite for Saturday's final classic of the season.

“I felt good and was able to finish off the work of the team,” Gilberto told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“With 700 metres to go I felt more or less like I did at the world championships but you can’t always win even when your form is great.”

Asked about about his chance of further success in Saturday's Tour of Lombardy, Gilbert admitted he was slightly worried about the new course. But has already picked his big rivals.

I’ll go and look at the new part of the course tomorrow but I’m most worried about the descent after the Colma di Sormano,” he said.

“My rivals? Evans, Kolobnev, above all, then Nibali and Visconti.”

The break takes the wrong road

Despite many of the riders in the peloton already thinking about their end of season holidays, the Gran Piemonte got off to a rapid start, with the first hour covered at a leg-burning average speed of 51.60km/h.

An early break was chased down by the Katusha team, but then six riders went away after 56km, and the peloton let them go.

Luca Solari (Androni Giocattoli) Oscar Puyol (Cervelo TestTeam), Tony Gallopin (Cofidis), Sonny Colbrelli (Colnago-CSF Inox), Alessandro De Marchi (Androni Giocattoli) and Elia Favilli (ISD-Neri) quickly opened an eight-minute lead as the peloton enjoyed the views across the vineyards and rolling hills of north Piemonte.

Former world champion Cadel Evans (BMC) and several other riders climbed off at the first feed zone after 100km but after lunch the peloton began the serious chase of the sextet.

However the break lost all of its advantage and was even overtaken by the peloton after taking the wrong road following a descent with approximately 30km to go. The riders apparently kept racing for several minutes before they and the organisers realised they had gone off course.

Seven other riders then went on the attack on the La Morra climb, just after the race came back together, but they were pulled back before the 18km finishing circuit around Cossato.

Alexandr Dyachenko (Astana) and Vladimir Gusev (Katusha) tried to go clear but the Omega Pharma-Lotto team kept them in check, preparing the ground for Gilbert to make his late move.

The classy Belgian jumped away with one kilometre to go as the two were pulled back. He crossed the line alone with his arms in the air, reminding everyone that he will be the big favourite to pull off a similar move on Saturday at the Tour of Lombardy.

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Full Results
1Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto4:28:03
2Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita) Androni Giocattoli - Diquigiovanni0:00:02
3Matti Breschel (Den) Team Saxo BankRow 2 - Cell 2
4Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha0:00:04
5Dries Devenyns (Bel) QuickstepRow 4 - Cell 2
6Mauro Finetto (Ita) Liquigas - DoimoRow 5 - Cell 2
7Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 6 - Cell 2
8Bauke Mollema (Ned) RabobankRow 7 - Cell 2
9Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Caisse d'EpargneRow 8 - Cell 2
10Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) Lampre - Farnese ViniRow 9 - Cell 2
11Samuel Dumoulin (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit En LigneRow 10 - Cell 2
12Assan Bazayev (Kaz) AstanaRow 11 - Cell 2
13Dennis Van Winden (Ned) RabobankRow 12 - Cell 2
14Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test TeamRow 13 - Cell 2
15Manuele Mori (Ita) Lampre - Farnese ViniRow 14 - Cell 2
16Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez (Col) Androni Giocattoli - DiquigiovanniRow 15 - Cell 2
17Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Team KatushaRow 16 - Cell 2
18Francesco Reda (Ita) QuickstepRow 17 - Cell 2
19Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) AstanaRow 18 - Cell 2
20Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team HTC - ColumbiaRow 19 - Cell 2
21Alessandro Proni (Ita) Acqua & Sapone d'Angelo AntenucRow 20 - Cell 2
22Christian Meier (Can) Garmin - TransitionsRow 21 - Cell 2
23Maciej Paterski (Pol) Liquigas - DoimoRow 22 - Cell 2
24Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing TeamRow 23 - Cell 2
25Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 24 - Cell 2
26David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En LigneRow 25 - Cell 2
27Ludovic Turpin (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 26 - Cell 2
28Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Sky Professional Cycling Team0:00:13
29Andrea Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone d'Angelo AntenucRow 28 - Cell 2
30Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Team KatushaRow 29 - Cell 2
31Guillaume Bonnafond (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 30 - Cell 2
32Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Team KatushaRow 31 - Cell 2
33Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin - TransitionsRow 32 - Cell 2
34Gorazd Stangelj (Slo) AstanaRow 33 - Cell 2
35Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez (Col) Caisse d'EpargneRow 34 - Cell 2
36Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - Farnese Vini0:00:18
37Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto0:00:26
38Luis Pasamontes Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 37 - Cell 2
39Timothy Duggan (USA) Garmin - Transitions0:00:43
40Johan Van Summeren (Bel) Garmin - TransitionsRow 39 - Cell 2
41Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Lampre - Farnese ViniRow 40 - Cell 2
42Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 41 - Cell 2
43Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) Omega Pharma - LottoRow 42 - Cell 2
44Giovanni Visconti (Ita) ISD - Neri0:00:49
45Olivier Kaisen (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto0:00:52
46Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Team KatushaRow 45 - Cell 2
47Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Astana0:00:56
48Alexsandr Dyachenko (Kaz) AstanaRow 47 - Cell 2
49Bartosz Huzarski (Pol) ISD - Neri0:01:02
50Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Androni Giocattoli - Diquigiovanni0:01:17
51Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Cervelo Test TeamRow 50 - Cell 2
52Filippo Savini (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 51 - Cell 2
53Daniele Bennati (Ita) Liquigas - Doimo0:01:28
54Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Liquigas - DoimoRow 53 - Cell 2
55Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 54 - Cell 2
56Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Quickstep0:01:41
57Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo Bank0:01:47
58André Steensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank0:03:14
59Francisco Perez Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 58 - Cell 2
60Imanol Erviti (Spa) Caisse d'EpargneRow 59 - Cell 2
61Julien Loubet (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 60 - Cell 2
62Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) QuickstepRow 61 - Cell 2
63Jan Bakelandts (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto0:03:22
64Kevin Seeldrayers (Bel) QuickstepRow 63 - Cell 2
65Matteo Tosatto (Ita) QuickstepRow 64 - Cell 2
66Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) RabobankRow 65 - Cell 2
67Damiano Margutti (Ita) Androni Giocattoli - Diquigiovanni0:06:21
68Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto0:06:49
69Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Liquigas - Doimo0:08:50
70Mickael Buffaz (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En LigneRow 69 - Cell 2
71Davide Cimolai (Ita) Liquigas - DoimoRow 70 - Cell 2
72Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) ISD - NeriRow 71 - Cell 2
73Dario David Cioni (Ita) Sky Professional Cycling TeamRow 72 - Cell 2
74Josep Jufre Pou (Spa) AstanaRow 73 - Cell 2
75Elia Viviani (Ita) Liquigas - DoimoRow 74 - Cell 2
76Serge Pauwels (Ned) Sky Professional Cycling TeamRow 75 - Cell 2
77Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Cervelo Test TeamRow 76 - Cell 2
78Morris Possoni (Ita) Sky Professional Cycling TeamRow 77 - Cell 2
79Daniel Teklehaymanot (Eri) Cervelo Test TeamRow 78 - Cell 2
80Vladimir Miholjevic (Cro) Acqua & Sapone d'Angelo AntenucRow 79 - Cell 2
81Kjell Carlström (Fin) Sky Professional Cycling TeamRow 80 - Cell 2
82Daniele Righi (Ita) Lampre - Farnese ViniRow 81 - Cell 2
83David Lelay (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 82 - Cell 2
84Paul Martens (Ger) RabobankRow 83 - Cell 2
85Karsten Kroon (Ned) BMC Racing TeamRow 84 - Cell 2
86Pavel Brutt (Rus) Team KatushaRow 85 - Cell 2
87Andriy Grivko (Ukr) AstanaRow 86 - Cell 2
88Nico Sijmens (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En LigneRow 87 - Cell 2
89Marco Frapporti (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 88 - Cell 2
90Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone d'Angelo Antenuc0:08:58
91Luca Paolini (Ita) Acqua & Sapone d'Angelo AntenucRow 90 - Cell 2
Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is one of the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.

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