61st GP Liberazione - 1.2

Italy, April 25, 2006

2005 Results Results Past winners

Goss wins GP Liberazione

The podium
Photo ©: Gennie Sheer

The podium after the awards
Photo ©: Gennie Sheer

South Australia.com-AIS rider Matthew Goss has given the team its first road victory for the season with a stunning victory in the 138km GP Liberazione in Rome. The 19 year old from Tasmania outsprinted an international field of 199 riders in the prestige U23 event contested by more than 25 nations.

It's the second year in a row an Australian has claimed victory in the event. Last year's race was won by Sydney's Chris Sutton who now rides for the French registered Cofidis professional team and who sent good luck wishes by SMS to the Australians before the start.

"This is great," said Goss. "Only one other Aussie has won it and you can't do more than win two in a row but hopefully we can win it again next year."

Goss and his team mates were in the thick of the action from the gun and when a threatening break went at seven of the 23 laps remaining both Goss and Simon Clarke joined the move. Whilst the group of around 25 riders looked strong the main field was determined to bring them back and with two laps remaining the race was all together.

"I made sure I was always in the splits when they happened but when I was in them I wasn't doing too much work because I was pretty sure it would come to a sprint finish and was confident if that was the case I had a good chance," said Goss after being presented with four trophies including the 'President of the Italian Republic Trophy'. "So while I was in the breaks I wasn't the one driving them - better to be safe rather than sorry."

Simon Clarke launched an attack two kilometres from the finish with two other riders but they were unable to hold off the bunch and as they approached the final corner into the finishing straight the scene was set for a mass sprint.

"I don't know if it was part of the plan but at one stage I thought it was going to work," said Goss of Clarke's attack which was reminiscnet of Sutton's winning move in 2005. "But it was good for me because the bunch hestitated and that gave me the chance to get the position I wanted heading onto the climb.

"I managed to come over the climb in third or fourth wheeel so from there we just caught Clarke's group and it was a sprint to the finish line."

Goss wound it up 350m from the line and turned on an unbeatable sprint which saw him cross the line for victory by a clear margin.

Results

1 Matthew Goss (Aus) South Australia Ais
2 Manuel Belletti (Ita) Trevigiani Dynamon Veneto Banca
3 Cristiano Fumagalli (Ita) Filmop Sorelle Ramonda Parolin
4 Marcello Pavarin (Ita) Bata Seep
5 Oscar Gatto (Ita) Zalf Désirée Fiors

Past winners

2005 Chris Sutton (Aus) Australian National Team    
2004 Daniele Colli (Ita)
2003 Devid Garbelli (Ita) Bergamasca 1902
2002 Andrea Sanvido (Ita) Team Parolin Radio Birikina
2001 Alberto Loddo (Ita) Zoccorinese Vellutex Casa Selezione
2000 Lorenzo Bernucci (Ita)
1999 Marco Zanotti (Ita)
1998 Roberto Savoldi (Ita)
1997 Cristiano Citton (Ita)
1996 Davide Casarotto (Ita)
1995 Paolo Valoti (Ita)
1994 Alex Petersen (Den)
1993 Alesssandro Bertolini (Ita)
1992 Vassil Davidenko (URS)
1991 Andrea Solagna (Ita)
1990 Uwe Winter (Ger)
1989 Joachin Halupczok (Pol)
1988 Bernd Groene (Ger)
1987 Dimitri Konychev (URS)
1986 Mark Van Orsouw (Ned)
1985 Gianni Bugno (Ita)
1984 Jorge Dominguez (Spa)
1983 Claudio Golinelli (Ita)
1982 Andrej Serediuk (Pol)
1981 Ivan Mitchenko (URS)
1980 Marco Cattaneo (Ita)
1979 Walter Delle Case (Ita)
1978 Henning Jorgensen (Den)
1977 Bob Downs (GBr)
1976 William Nickson (GBr)
1975 Palmiro Masciarelli (Ita)
1974 Cvijetiko Bilic (Yug)
1973 Ivan Trifonov (URS)
1972 Juri Osincev (URS)
1971 Giuseppe Matteis (Ita)
1970 Rudolf Labus (Cze)
1969 Pietro Mingardi (Ita)
1968 Attilio Rota (Ita)
1967 Carlo Galazzi (Ita)
1966 Jaroslav Kvapil (Cze)
1965 Ferruccio Manza (Ita)
1964 Carlo Storai (Ita)
1963 Antonio Toniolo (Ita)
1962 Antonio Toniolo (Ita)
1961 Teodoro Cerbella (Ita)
1960 Aurelio Bianchi (Ita)
1959 Romeo Venturelli (Ita)
1958 Remo Tamagni (Ita)
1957 Salvatore Morucci (Ita)
1956 Aurelio Cestari (Ita)
1955 Giancarlo Ceppi (Ita)
1954 Cleto Maule (Ita)
1953 Nazareno Venturini (Ita)
1952 Renzo Maurizi (Ita)
1951 Vincenzo Zucconelli (Ita)
1950 Donato Piazza (Ita)
1949 Alfio Benfenati (Ita)
1948 Bruno Fossa (Ita)
1947 Spartaco Rosati (Ita)
1946 Gustavo Guglielmetti (Ita)