Quintana caps successful season with Giro dell'Emilia win

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Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) continued Colombia’s run of success in Italian races, winning the Giro dell’Emilia race near Bologna with an unbeatable surge to the line on the San Luca climb.

The 22 year-old Colombian climber attacked with 600 metres to go and finished three seconds ahead of Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana), with Franco Pellizotti (Androni Giocattoli) third at four seconds.

Kessiakoff and Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox) went on the attack on the climb to the finish but Quintana’s teammate Giovanni Visconti helped chased them down to set up Quintana. It was his seventh win of the 2012 season and Movistar’s 29th victory of the season.

“I was very confident that it could be my day,” Quintana said. “I saw that Pozzovivo, Pellizotti and Kessiakoff were the strongest rivals. Visconti was sensational by neutralizing all the attacks on the last climb. I preferred to stay on Pozzovivo’s wheel because I thought he was the strongest. He was the last to attack, on the hardest part of the climb. I then went with the strength I had left.”

“I’m very happy with my whole year because it’s not easy to be fit all season. Hopefully all my seasons will be like this. I’m going home to Colombia on Tuesday and I’m already looking forward to being with my family and enjoying a few days rest before starting getting ready for next year.”

Fast and furious

The hilly 193km race was fast and furious, with an attack from 20 riders going after 50km. They were caught and then Caruso (Liquigas Cannondale), Marco Marzano (Lampre ISD), Paolo Tiralongo (Astana), Giairo Ermeti and Carlos Jose Ochoa (Androni Giocattoli Venezuela) and Anthony Charteau (Team Europcar) got a gap. Ochoa and Charteau soon lost contact but the other four opened a seven-minute gap after 111km.

The lead began to fall as the five climbs of the San Luca climb approached. Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, Farnese Vini-Selle Italia and Movistar controlled the race and worked to close the gap. Tiralongo tried a lone attack on the climb but was soon caught band the finale of the race approached.

Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Androni Giocattoli) attacked on the second time up to San Luca and then talented young rider Fabio Aru (Astana) had a go. He was joined by Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli) but they were swept up with two laps to go.
10 riders emerged on the penultimate climb of San Luca, with the race over for virtually everyone else. The final climb along the arches to the religious sanctuary was a real battle with several surges on the front. Pozzovivo and Kessiakoff made strong moves but Quintana kept them under control. The Colombian was the best climber in the front group and used it to excellent effect, distancing his rivals to win alone.

Many of the riders in action at the Giro dell’Emilia, will ride Sunday’s Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli. However the race is much more suited to the sprinters.

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