Moreno wins Gran Piemonte
Katusha rider wins final sprint ahead of break companions
Dani Moreno (Katusha) scored a fine victory at Gran Piemonte, as he came home ahead of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and teammate Luca Paolini in a small group finish in Novi Ligure.
The Spaniard slipped clear of the decisive 14-man break inside the final kilometre with the aid of the canny Paolini. Moreno had Paolini locked on his wheel on the last descent of the race, and when the Italian cleverly allowed a gap to develop, he was able to open a telling advantage over the group behind.
In spite of Vincenzo Nibali’s (Liquigas-Cannondale) late attempt to shut down the move, Moreno had enough in hand to hold on for the win, while a frustrated Van Avermaet took the sprint for second just behind.
“Paolini left a gap to Moreno on the last decent to the finish," Van Avermaet explained. "Nibali tried to close the gap and with 400 metres to go I went full out, but couldn't close the gap to him anymore."
A rapid start in Piasco
The winning break had its genesis in a 31-rider move that formed 85km into the race, after a searing beginning to proceedings in Piasco. Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Nibali and Daniele Bennati (Leopard Trek) were among their number, but neither the resurgent Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) nor defending champion Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) succeeded in making the cut.
By that point, world champion Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) had already left the race, the Briton abandoning after just 69km.
With such a strong collection of riders and wide spread of teams, the break quickly built up what would turn out to be an insurmountable lead. With 75km to go, they were 7:35 ahead of the peloton, and it was clear that they would divide the spoils between them, even if a small chase group including Daniel Lloyd (Garmin-Cervélo) and Fabio Felline (Geox-TMC) battled gamely to close the gap.
Though the finale featured no standout climb, the terrain was rolling throughout, and inside the final 30km, the strongmen of the lead group came to the fore. Under impetus from Thomas Löfkvist (Sky), 14 riders forced their way clear and the Swede was joined by Moreno, Rodriguez, Paolini (Katusha), Van Avermaet, Matthias Frank, Ivan Santaromita (BMC), Nibali, Oliver Zaugg, Bennati (Leopard Trek), Nicolas Roche (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), Przemysław Niemiec (Lampre-ISD) and André Steensen (Saxo Bank-Sungard).
Katusha and BMC worked to keep the group together on the run-in to the finish, and in spite of the best efforts Roche and Voeckler to force another selection, it all came down to a 14-man sprint.
While Van Avermaet was the man on form in the wake of his Paris-Tours victory, Katusha’s strength won out, with Paolini expertly piloting Moreno in the finishing straight. For good measure, the veteran Italian held off Voeckler and Roche to claim the third place on the podium.
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha | 4:45:16 |
2 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Pro Cycling | |
3 | Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha | |
4 | Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar | |
5 | Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale | |
6 | Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol) Lampre - ISD | |
7 | Daniele Bennati (Ita) Leopard - Trek | |
8 | André Steensen (Den) Saxo Bank - SunGard | |
9 | Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas - Cannondale | |
10 | Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Sky Pro Cycling | |
11 | Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Leopard - Trek | |
12 | Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Pro Cycling | 0:00:34 |
13 | Ivan Santaromita (Ita) BMC Pro Cycling | 0:00:48 |
14 | Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha | 0:00:58 |
15 | Leonardo Giordani (Ita) Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli | 0:02:05 |
16 | Daniele Colli (Ita) Geox - TMC | 0:02:11 |
17 | Vitaliy Buts (Ukr) Lampre - ISD | |
18 | Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli | |
19 | Alessandro Donati (Ita) Acqua ASA Sapone | |
20 | Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
21 | Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar | |
22 | Guillaume Bonnafond (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
23 | Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar | |
24 | Manuele Boaro (Ita) Saxo Bank - SunGard | |
25 | Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto | |
26 | Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Pro Cycling | |
27 | Alan Marangoni (Ita) Liquigas - Cannondale | 0:08:37 |
28 | Martin Kohler (Swi) BMC Pro Cycling | |
29 | Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | |
30 | Francesco Di Paolo (Ita) Acqua ASA Sapone | 0:09:39 |
31 | David Gutierrez Gutierrez (Spa) Geox - TMC | |
32 | Fabio Felline (Ita) Geox - TMC | |
33 | Davide Ricci Bitti (Ita) Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli | 0:09:43 |
34 | Maurizio Gorato (Ita) Geox - TMC | |
35 | Stefano Pirazzi (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | |
36 | Daniel Lloyd (GBr) Garmin - Cervelo | |
37 | Filippo Savini (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | 0:18:53 |
38 | Daniel Summerhill (USA) Garmin - Cervelo | |
39 | Petr Ignatenko (Rus) Katusha | |
40 | Luca Solari (Ita) Andalucia Caja Granada | |
41 | Omar Bertazzo (Ita) Andalucia Caja Granada | |
42 | Simone Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua ASA Sapone | |
43 | Arkimedes Arguelyes Rodriges (Rus) Katusha | |
44 | Alessandro Bertolini (Ita) Andalucia Caja Granada | |
45 | Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Saxo Bank - SunGard | |
46 | Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
47 | Marco Corti (Ita) Geox - TMC | |
48 | Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas - Cannondale | |
49 | Dominik Nerz (Ger) Liquigas - Cannondale | |
50 | Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
51 | Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Liquigas - Cannondale | |
52 | Oleksandr Kvachuk (Ukr) Lampre - ISD | |
53 | Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC Pro Cycling | |
54 | Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre - ISD | |
55 | Maxime Vantomme (Bel) Katusha | |
56 | Cristiano Salerno (Ita) Liquigas - Cannondale | |
57 | Rafai Chtioui (Tun) Acqua ASA Sapone | |
58 | Fabian Wegmann (Ger) Leopard - Trek | |
59 | Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
60 | Francis De Greef (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto | |
61 | Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
62 | Claudio Corioni (Ita) Acqua ASA Sapone | |
63 | Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
64 | Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
65 | Zakkari Dempster (Aus) HTC - Highroad | |
66 | Bruno Pires (Por) Leopard - Trek | |
67 | Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr) HTC - Highroad | |
68 | Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale | |
69 | Dario David Cioni (Ita) Sky Pro Cycling | |
70 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Pro Cycling | |
71 | Brian Vandborg (Den) Saxo Bank - SunGard | |
72 | G. Luca Mirenda (Ita) Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli | |
73 | Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Garmin - Cervelo | |
74 | Gert Dockx (Bel) Omega Pharma - Lotto | |
75 | Morris Possoni (Ita) Sky Pro Cycling | |
76 | Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli | |
77 | Elia Favilli (Ita) Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli | |
78 | Rafal Majka (Pol) Saxo Bank - SunGard | |
79 | Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) Saxo Bank - SunGard | |
80 | Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha | |
81 | Paolo Ciavatta (Ita) Acqua ASA Sapone | |
82 | Manuel Belletti (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | |
83 | Diego Caccia (Ita) Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli | |
84 | Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Garmin - Cervelo | |
85 | Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin - Cervelo | |
86 | Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Omega Pharma - Lotto | |
87 | Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Sky Pro Cycling | |
88 | Stephen Cummings (GBr) Sky Pro Cycling | |
89 | Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | |
90 | Angelo Pagani (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | |
91 | Andrea Piechele (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | |
92 | Alberto Contoli (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | |
93 | Sacha Modolo (Ita) Colnago - CSF Inox | |
94 | Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre - ISD | |
95 | Alessandro De Marchi (Ita) Andalucia Caja Granada | 0:19:04 |

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