Ballan wins Giro della Toscana

Alessandro Ballan (BMC) received a boost to his morale six days prior to the Giro d'Italia with a win at the Giro della Toscana. The 32-year-old Italian hadn't won a road race since the 2009 Tour of Poland, but the drought ended today with his victory from a breakaway. Carlos Betancur (Acqua & Sapone) finished second with Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas-Cannondale) in third for the 199km race.

"I was feeling good and we had a very strong team here today," Ballan said. "When we went over the major climb of the day [with 55km to go], I think we had seven guys in the lead group of 40."

Early in the race Ballan's teammates Adam Blythe and Taylor Phinney combined to help bring back a two-man breakaway that at one point enjoyed a 12-minute lead. After the peloton was whittled down to fewer than four dozen riders over the major climb, Ballan and teammates Mathias Frank, Tim Roe and Ivan Santaromita were part of a group of 12 that gained more than a minute's lead heading toward the first of two laps of the finishing circuits.

"I thought the race was going to go there but Farnese-Vini, even though they had a guy in the group, pulled it back," said Max Sciandri, BMC assistant director Max Sciandri. "Our team did an incredible job today. The plan was to race for Mauro Santambrogio (runner-up here a year ago), keeping Mathias in mind and having Ballan and Marco Pinotti as wild cards. But with 20 kilometers to go, Ballan came to me and said he was feeling good today."

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Full Results
1Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC Racing Team5:09:51
2Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Col) Acqua & SaponeRow 1 - Cell 2
3Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 2 - Cell 2
4Matej Mugerli (Slo) Adria MobilRow 3 - Cell 2
5Moreno Moser (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale0:00:04
6Marco Frapporti (Ita) Team Idea0:00:09
7Sergey Klimov (Rus) RusVelo0:00:18
8Marko Kump (Slo) Adria MobilRow 7 - Cell 2
9Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 8 - Cell 2
10Elia Favilli (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle ItaliaRow 9 - Cell 2
11Stefano Agostini (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 10 - Cell 2
12Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) BMC Racing TeamRow 11 - Cell 2
13Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 12 - Cell 2
14Nikita Eskov (Rus) RusVeloRow 13 - Cell 2
15Mathias Frank (Swi) BMC Racing TeamRow 14 - Cell 2
16Yoeri Havik (Ned) NetherlandsRow 15 - Cell 2
17Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing TeamRow 16 - Cell 2
18Frederico Rocchetti (Ita) Utensilnord NamedRow 17 - Cell 2
19Ruslan Karimov (Uzb) Team IdeaRow 18 - Cell 2
20Maurizio Biondo (Ita) Meridiana Kamen TeamRow 19 - Cell 2
21Mariano Giallorenzo (Ita) Meridiana Kamen TeamRow 20 - Cell 2
22Fabio Taborre (Ita) Acqua & SaponeRow 21 - Cell 2
23Davide Mucelli (Ita) Utensilnord NamedRow 22 - Cell 2
24Patxi Javier Vila Errandonea (Spa) Utensilnord NamedRow 23 - Cell 2
25Riccardo Chiarini (Ita) Androni GiocattoliRow 24 - Cell 2
26Darwin Atapuma Hurtado (Col) Colombia - ColdeportesRow 25 - Cell 2
27Vladimir Miholjevic (Cro) Acqua & SaponeRow 26 - Cell 2
28Marco Pinotti (Ita) BMC Racing TeamRow 27 - Cell 2
29Artem Ovechkin (Rus) RusVeloRow 28 - Cell 2
30Alessandro Bisolti (Ita) Team IdeaRow 29 - Cell 2
31Matej Gnezda (Slo) Adria MobilRow 30 - Cell 2
32Massimo Codol (Ita) Acqua & SaponeRow 31 - Cell 2
33Sergey Firsanov (Rus) RusVeloRow 32 - Cell 2
34Dmitry Kozontchuk (Rus) RusVeloRow 33 - Cell 2
35Javier Gonzalez Barrera (Col) Colombia - ColdeportesRow 34 - Cell 2
36Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 35 - Cell 2
37Stefano Locatelli (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 36 - Cell 2
38Tomaz Nose (Slo) Adria MobilRow 37 - Cell 2
39Kristjan Fajt (Slo) Adria MobilRow 38 - Cell 2
40Kristijan Durasek (Cro) Adria MobilRow 39 - Cell 2
41Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 40 - Cell 2
42Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 41 - Cell 2
43Ivan Santaromita (Ita) BMC Racing TeamRow 42 - Cell 2
44Radoslav Rogina (Cro) Adria MobilRow 43 - Cell 2
45Oscar Gatto (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia0:00:35
46Stefano Pirazzi (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 45 - Cell 2
47Jaroslaw Dabrowski (Pol) Amore & Vita0:01:00
48Derk Abel Beckeringh (Ned) Netherlands0:01:32
49Thimothy Roe (Aus) BMC Racing Team0:01:37
50Luca Mazzanti (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle ItaliaRow 49 - Cell 2
51Simon Pavlin (Slo) Adria MobilRow 50 - Cell 2
52Krisztian Lovassy (Hun) HungaryRow 51 - Cell 2
53Federico Canuti (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 52 - Cell 2
54Michael Rodriguez Galindo (Col) Colombia - ColdeportesRow 53 - Cell 2
55Paolo Bailetti (Ita) Utensilnord NamedRow 54 - Cell 2
56Mike Teunissen (Ned) NetherlandsRow 55 - Cell 2
57Mike Terpstra (Ned) NetherlandsRow 56 - Cell 2
58Yovcho Yovchev (Bul) Amore & VitaRow 57 - Cell 2
59Marino Palandri (Ita) Amore & VitaRow 58 - Cell 2
60Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Col) Colombia - ColdeportesRow 59 - Cell 2
61Mats Boeve (Ned) NetherlandsRow 60 - Cell 2
62Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Col) Androni GiocattoliRow 61 - Cell 2
63Andrea Palini (Ita) Team IdeaRow 62 - Cell 2
64Francesco Failli (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle ItaliaRow 63 - Cell 2
65Matteo Rabottini (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle ItaliaRow 64 - Cell 2
66Pier Paolo De Negri (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia0:05:24
67Carlos Julian Quintero (Col) Colombia - ColdeportesRow 66 - Cell 2
68Giuseppe De Maria (Ita) Team IdeaRow 67 - Cell 2
69Angelo Pagani (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 68 - Cell 2
70Alberto Di Lorenzo (Ita) Meridiana Kamen TeamRow 69 - Cell 2
71Blaz Bonca (Slo) Meridiana Kamen TeamRow 70 - Cell 2
DNFMaksym Averin (Ukr) Amore & VitaRow 71 - Cell 2
DNFViesturs Luksevics (Lat) Amore & VitaRow 72 - Cell 2
DNFPatrik Moren (Swe) Amore & VitaRow 73 - Cell 2
DNFNiv Libner (Isr) Amore & VitaRow 74 - Cell 2
DNFUri Martins (Mex) Amore & VitaRow 75 - Cell 2
DNFBendeguz Bernard (Hun) HungaryRow 76 - Cell 2
DNFPeter Simon (Hun) HungaryRow 77 - Cell 2
DNFIstvan Cziraki (Hun) HungaryRow 78 - Cell 2
DNFIstvan Molnar (Hun) HungaryRow 79 - Cell 2
DNFMaté Radonics (Hun) HungaryRow 80 - Cell 2
DNFMarton Solymosi (Hun) HungaryRow 81 - Cell 2
DNFZoltan Vigh (Hun) HungaryRow 82 - Cell 2
DNFEnrico Rossi (Ita) Meridiana Kamen TeamRow 83 - Cell 2
DNFRoberto Cesaro (Ita) Meridiana Kamen TeamRow 84 - Cell 2
DNFDavid John McLean (GBr) Meridiana Kamen TeamRow 85 - Cell 2
DNFLuka Grubic (Cro) Meridiana Kamen TeamRow 86 - Cell 2
DNFWouter Wippert (Ned) NetherlandsRow 87 - Cell 2
DNFKay Welten (Ned) NetherlandsRow 88 - Cell 2
DNFGijs Strating (Ned) NetherlandsRow 89 - Cell 2
DNFSimone Boifava (Ita) Team IdeaRow 90 - Cell 2
DNFLuca Dodi (Ita) Team IdeaRow 91 - Cell 2
DNFAristide Ratti (Ita) Team IdeaRow 92 - Cell 2
DNFAdam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing TeamRow 93 - Cell 2
DNFDaniele Ratto (Ita) Liquigas-CannondaleRow 94 - Cell 2
DNFDanilo Di Luca (Ita) Acqua & SaponeRow 95 - Cell 2
DNFPaolo Ciavatta (Ita) Acqua & SaponeRow 96 - Cell 2
DNFSimone Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua & SaponeRow 97 - Cell 2
DNFAndrea Masciarelli (Ita) Acqua & SaponeRow 98 - Cell 2
DNFFilippo Pozzato (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle ItaliaRow 99 - Cell 2
DNFOmar Lombardi (Ita) Colnago - CSF InoxRow 100 - Cell 2
DNFFabio Felline (Ita) Androni GiocattoliRow 101 - Cell 2
DNFJonathan Monsalve (Ven) Androni GiocattoliRow 102 - Cell 2
DNFTomas Aurelio Gil Martinez (Ven) Androni GiocattoliRow 103 - Cell 2
DNFMiguel Ubeto Aponte (Ven) Androni GiocattoliRow 104 - Cell 2
DNFAlessandro Bertolini (Ita) Androni GiocattoliRow 105 - Cell 2
DNFSalvatore Mancuso (Ita) Androni GiocattoliRow 106 - Cell 2
DNFMatvey Zubov (Rus) RusVeloRow 107 - Cell 2
DNFDalivier Ospina Navarro (Col) Colombia - ColdeportesRow 108 - Cell 2
DNFRobinson Eduardo Chalapud Gomez (Col) Colombia - ColdeportesRow 109 - Cell 2
DNFFranck Osorio (Col) Colombia - ColdeportesRow 110 - Cell 2
DNFOleg Berdos (Mda) Utensilnord NamedRow 111 - Cell 2
DNFSergio Lagana (Ita) Utensilnord NamedRow 112 - Cell 2
DNFFabio Piscopiello (Ita) Utensilnord NamedRow 113 - Cell 2

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