Gavazzi sprints to Coppa Agostoni victory

Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) sprinted to victory to take the Coppa Agostoni in Lissone, Italy. The Italian outlasted his fellow countryman Mauro Santambrogio (BMC) in the finishing straight to take his third win of the season. Luca Paolini (Acqua & Sapone) rounded out the podium in third. 

The race’s key moment came 42km from the finish on the final climb of the Colle Brianza, when Santambrogio’s attack brought a twenty-strong group clear of the field. Marco Pinotti (HTC-Columbia) and Andrea Tonti (Carmiooro-NGC) subsequently forced their way off the front in the finale but they struggled to stretch out an advantage over the chasers. Their bold bid for glory was ultimately snuffed out in the closing stages and it all came down to a sprint finish.

Coming into the finishing straight, Luca Paolini appeared poised for victory, but the Acqua & Sapone fastman found himself isolated and unable to make an impact. By contrast, Gavazzi was able to rely on a perfect lead-out from his teammate Simone Ponzi, and that was enough to edge out Santambrogio in the sprint.

Gavazzi comes from Morbegno in Lombardy and was thus delighted to take a win on roads so close to home, labelling it “a beautiful victory on a hard route.”

The Lampre rider explained that the Coppa Agostoni was a process of elimination from start to finish. “The race was tough from the start because the pace was so high and there were so many breakaway attempts,” Gavazzi said afterwards. “I was ready and alert when the first selection happened on the Ghisallo, and with my teammates Cunego, Pietropolli, Marzano and Ponzi we were able control the situation.”

Once he made it into the final selection, Gavazzi realised that he was capable of taking the win. “I understood that my condition was really excellent when I got into the decisive break of twenty riders on the Colle Brianza,” he said. The 26-year-old was also keen to praise his teammates. “Marzano was unbeatable for his generosity of effort and Ponzi made no mistakes in the lead-out for the sprint”.

In the finishing straight, Gavazzi was pushed all the way to take the win. “Santambrogio was a tough opponent,” said Gavazzi. “I had to stop myself from raising my arms to celebrate because otherwise Mauro would have overtaken me."