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Photo ©: Schaaf

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4th Mercatone Uno - Memorial Pantani - 1.1

Cesenatico, Italy, June 9, 2007

2006 Results    Results    Past winners

Pellizotti packs a punch

Franco Pellizotti was too fast
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) has won the fourth edition of the Mercatone Uno - Memorial Pantani by out-sprinting his breakaway companion Luca Mazzanti (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) in the final metres on the slightly uphill run-in to the finish.

The memorial race is held each year in the vicinities of Cesenatico and Cesena, where Marco Pantani lived most of his life. This area next to the Adriatic sea offers plenty of good riding, and climbs like the one up nearby San Marino ensure good training grounds for a climber like Pantani was.

Before the race got underway Pantani's parents, several locals, including kids from the Pantani racing club, and Danilo Di Luca put down flowers in front of the Pantani memorial in Cesenatico that honours his life.

The race, which was held under perfect weather conditions, started with lots of attacks early on, and eventually a break of 24 riders formed. At km 130 attacks from within whittled down the group to eleven riders, including the two Liquigas favourites, Franco Pellizotti and Vincenzo Nibali.

Di Luca congratulates
Photo ©: Sirotti
(Click for larger image)

The decisive move came with 20km to go, when Pellizotti attacked on the slopes of the Montevecchio. Only Luca Mazzanti could follow the vicious acceleration and the two crested the top together with a good advantage over the breakaway group.

They were working well together and reached the finishing straight in Cesena with a lead of more than half a minute. Mazzanti did not have a chance in the two-up sprint against the experienced Pellizotti.

Pasquale Muto (Miche) got the last remaining podium spot, 38 seconds back, while Nibali finished in sixth, a little over two minutes back. Danilo Di Luca did not finish the race and managed to get to the finishing area before the sprint so he could cheer on his teammates.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

Results

1 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas                                 4.17.15
2 Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Ceramica Panaria Navigare                           
3 Pasquale Muto (Ita) Miche                                           0.38
4 Jure Golcer (Slo) Tenax                                             0.50
5 Massimo Giunti (Ita) Miche                                              
6 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas                                      2.10
7 Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Serramenti Pvc Diquigiovanni Selle Italia    
8 Luca Solari (Ita) Team L.P.R.                                           
9 Luca Pierfelici (Ita) Aurum Hotels                                      
10 Massimiliano Maisto (Ita) OTC Doors Lauretana                          
11 Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Tenax                                          
12 Manuele Spadi (Ita) Ceramica Flaminia                              9.27
13 Gianluca Coletta (Ita) Cinelli Endeka                                  
14 Hubert Krys (Pol) Ceramica Flaminia                                    
15 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre-Fondital                                
16 Marco Fabbri (Ita) Aurum Hotels                                        
17 Eddy Serri (Ita) Miche                                             9.30
18 Santo Anza (Ita) Serramenti Pvc Diquigiovanni Selle Italia             
19 Marco Osella (Ita) Kio Ene-Tonazzo-Dmt                                 
20 Francesco Tizza (Ita) OTC Doors Lauretana                              
21 Alessandro Maserati (Ita) Team L.P.R.                                  
22 Gabriele Bosisio (Ita) Tenax                                           
23 Vladislav Borisov (Rus) Team Universal Caffe' - Ecopetrol         12.00
24 Yuri Metlushenko (Ukr) Mapamap-Bantprofi                               
25 Benjamin Baumgartner (Swi) Atlas-Romer's Hausbackerei             13.00

Past winners

2006 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Lampre - Fondital
2005 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Lampre Caffita
2004 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Saeco