Moreno Moser solos to Trofeo Laigueglia victory

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Moreno Moser claimed victory at Trofeo Laigueglia after attacking near the summit of the final climb of Colla Micheri and soloing to the finish. The Astana rider, who was competing in the colours of the Italian national team, extended his advantage on the descent to run out a convincing win.

It was Moser's second victory in the race, which is the first on the Italian calendar, and his first win of any description since he landed a stage of the 2015 Tour of Austria.

Moser was part of an 18-rider selection that fought it out for the victory on the finishing circuit around Laigueglia, having earlier made a fine solo effort to chase back up to the front group. The Italian chose his moment well in the finale, accelerating 100 metres from the summit of the climb through the hilltop village of Colla Micheri to open a decisive gap.

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Paolo Totò (Sangemini) led home the chasing group to take second place, while Matteo Busato (Wilier Triestina) claimed the third step of the podium.

How it unfolded

The early break forged clear inside the opening five kilometres, with Julien El Fares (Delko Marseille Provence KTM) slipping away in the company of Auden Brekk Flotten (Team Virtu Cycling) and Francesco Bettini (D'Amico).

The trio were handed plenty of leeway by a slumbering gruppo in the opening hour of racing, and they quickly stacked up an advantage of 9:15 by the 42km mark, at which point Androni Giocattoli began to marshal the pursuit in the peloton.

By the time the escapees reached the Capo Berta after a little over 100km, their efforts were beginning to take a toll. A flagging Bettini sat up from the break, and their advantage over the bunch had been cut back to within seven minutes. By the time the break hit the Testico 20 kilometres later, their advantage was down to 4:30, at which point El Fares decided to try his luck alone.

The rugged terrain was also beginning to provoke movement in the main peloton, however, with Androni Giocattoli and AG2R La Mondiale particularly active. They had five riders apiece in the 13-man selection that formed after the Testico, though the group swelled to shortly afterwards as others – Moser included – scrambled their way across outside of Alassio, where El Fares' lone effort fizzled out.

There were eighteen riders still in contention for the win by the time the front group hit the four laps of the finishing circuit around Laigueglia, including Moser, Ben Hermans (Israel Cycling Academy), Francesco Gavazzi, Fausto Masnada, Marco Frapporti (Androni Giocattoli), Silvan Dillier, Mikael Cherel, Clement Chevrier (AG2R La Mondiale) and Simone Andreetta (Bardiani-CSF).

Dillier was among the chief aggressors, and he briefly succeeded in breaking clear alone on the first lap, but he was soon brought to heel. On the final ascent of Colla Micheri, Moser seized his opportunity and punched his way clear near the summit, quickly establishing a gap.

Gavazzi, Busato, Nicola Bagioli (Nippo-Vini Fantini), Romain Combaud (Delko-Marseille Provence KTM) and Roland Thalmann (Team Vorarlberg) were prominent in pursuit of Moser, but the Italian was not to be denied victory.

As a neo-professional in 2012, Moser's Trofeo Laigueglia victory was the first calling card for a remarkable debut season that saw him win the Tour de Pologne and mark himself out as Italian cycling's coming man. After a promising start to 2013, and despite occasional flashes in the intervening period, Moser has never scaled such heights again, but at 27 years of age, he will hope that this triumph is an omen for better things to come in 2018.

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