Modolo edges Viviani for stage win

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Sacha Modolo (Colnago-CSF Inox) won stage three of the Giro di Padania and returned to the top of the general classification on a day that saw further protests against the contentious race.

The stage start was brought forward by 20 minutes in a bid to thwart demonstrators, while the stage itself was lengthened to 225km after the mayor of Piacenza refused to allow the race to enter the city. The event is organised with heavy involvement from the Lega Nord political party, and “Padania” is a charged expression used by the movement to describe the area of northern Italy for which it is seeking autonomy.

For the third consecutive day, demonstrators from a number of groups opposed to the Lega Nord protested the event and attempted to block the route, this time at Tabiano, but were prevented from doing so by police.

For the record, the Liquigas-Cannondale squad controlled affairs in the finale of the stage, shutting down a late break by Oscar Gatto (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) and Giuseppe De Maria (De Rosa Ceramica Flaminia) and a subsequent move by Miguel Rubiano Chavez ( D’Angelo & Antenucci).

In spite of the best efforts of Daniel Oss in the finale, Viviani had to give best to Modolo in the sprint, but their duel was again a mere footnote to the political polemic that has dominated the race from its very outset.