Albasini wins Coppa Agostoni

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Michael Albasini won the Coppa Agostoni in a reduced bunch finish in Lissone. The Orica-Scott rider was racing in the colours of the Swiss national team, and he delivered a fine sprint to beat Marco Canola (Nippo-Vini Fantini) and Francesco Gavazzi (Androni-Sidermec).

"I thought the finale would be more animated without the sprinters, but it was quite controlled," Albasini said afterwards. "I put myself on the wheel of the Androni team because there were three or four of them. I was sure they'd do a good lead-out and that's how it played out. I got to the finish quite fresh. It was a bit of a long sprint but it went well."

The race was animated by a seven-man move that forged clear in the opening hour of racing. Shane Archbold (Bora-Hansgrohe), Mark Padun (Bahrain-Merida), Pierre-Luc Perichon (Fortuneo-Oscaro), Luca Wackermann (Bardiani-CSF), Angel Ruiz Madrazo (Delko Marseille), Samuel Mugisha (Dimension Data) and Matthias Krizek (Tirol Cycling Team) combined well to build up a maximum lead of six minutes before Androni-Sidermec and the Italian national team marshalled a chase.

The repeated ascent of the Colle Brianza eventually whittled the breakaway down to three riders, as Padun, Madrazo and Perichon forged clear of the rest with 70 kilometres to go.

Padun later slipped away alone, but on the next ascent of the Colle Brianza, Egan Bernal (Androni-Sidermec) attacked from the bunch, catching and passing Madrazo and Perichon as he bridged across to Padun.

Bernal and Padun combined well together and held an advantage of 50 seconds over the peloton with 40 kilometres remaining, but the intensity of the pursuit behind meant that they would eventually be caught on the finishing circuit in Lissone.

In the finale, Perichon returned to the fray once again, going on the attack in the company of Jacopo Mosca (Wilier Triestina), but they were never more than 10 seconds clear of the peloton, and they were swept up on the final approach to the line.

Androni had strength in numbers ahead of the bunch finish, but Albasini sensed his opportunity with 250 metres to go, launching his sprint from distance and holding off Canola and Gavazzi to take his third win of the season. The Swiss rider will be 37 in December but confirmed that he will continue his career into 2018.

"Yes, I'm going on. It's the job I always wanted to do, and I'm still enjoying myself," Albasini said. "It's nice to ride with younger riders like I did today. I'll just keep going as long as I am able to get some results."

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