GP Industria & Artigianato: Ben Healy secures solo victory

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) launched a late-race attack to win the one-day GP Industria & Artigianato in Larciano. The Irishman attacked a large breakaway group on the climb located on the last circuit of the race and held off lone chaser Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Trek-Segafredo), who finished second.

Mark Stewart (Bolton Equities Black Spoke) won the group sprint for third place on the day.

GP Industria & Artigianato offered the field a 199.8km race that ended with four large circuits in Larciano. Each circuit included a decisive ascent over the Fornello (2.7km at 6.4%) followed by a descent and undulating terrain into the finish line.

An early breakaway was caught on the Fornello ascent, and the peloton was all together with 75km to go, with UAE Team Emirates pulling the field. 

The field split apart with a large group of roughly 16 riders breaking off the front to include Diego Ulissi, Davide Formolo, Marc Hirschi and Felix Großschartner (UAE Team Emirates), Christian Scaroni (Astana Qazaqstan), James Shaw, Georg Steinhauser and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, Tony Gallopin and Natnael Tesfatsion (Trek-Segafredo), Marco Tizza (Bingoal WB), Mark Stewart (Bolton Equities Black Spoke), Alessandro Tonelli (Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and Alessandro Fedeli (Q36.5 Pro Cycling).

Three riders struggled to hang onto the move with Alexis Guerin (Bingoal WB), Samuele Zoccarato, and Filippo Fiorelli (Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) distanced inside 20km to go.

The race headed up on the last ascent of the Fornello, where Ulissi attacked, but Healy countered the move.

Healy opened a gap and pushed his lead out to 10 seconds on the descent with 14km out from the finish line. There was little organisation in the chase group behind, which allowed Healy's lead to increase to 20 seconds.

On the flat to undulating run-in to Larciano, Healy continued to push on with 30 seconds ahead of the chase as he raced into the last 3km. 

The chase fell apart behind him as teams UAE Team Emirates and Trek-Segafredo, the only squads with multiple riders left in the chase, led the diminished group. 

Ghebreigzabhier attacked out of the chase group to bridge to Healy, but the gap was too big to cross so late in the race.

The in-form Healy crossed the line to secure his second win of the season after also winning a stage of Settimana Coppi e Bartali last week.

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