Mollema wins GP Bruno Beghelli

Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) attacked from a select lead group with 2km remaining to solo to victory at the Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli Saturday in Italy.

"It was super hard, but I was always in the front together with Toms Skujins and Michael Gogl in the final, and thanks to them I could attack in the last few kilometers," Mollema said. "It was a really nice win, and I am super happy to win here, especially since it's close to Segafredo, our Italian sponsor."

Mollema created the first selection with an attack on the featured club of the penultimate circuit, dragging a group of eight away from the peloton with one lap remaining.

"On the final time up the climb, [Matteo] Trentin attacked, and I had to close with Kruijswijk and Bauke on my wheel," said Mollema's team-mate Toms Skujins. "And in the last 300 meters, I countered. I went into the downhill alone with Bauke and Kruijswijk chasing and little gaps everywhere. After the downhill, Kruijswijk caught me, and we slowed a little bit, and we were similar to what we were before – eight or 10 guys – but the mix had changed. It was still Trentin, Kruijswijk,
Bauke, and me, but also Michael (Gogl) was there, and (Sonny) Colbrelli also bridged. We had a gap again, and in the final 5kms everyone kept attacking."

Not wanting to take the faster sprinters to the line, Mollema jumped away early and opened a gap.

"We played the game a little bit and attacked because we did not want to wait for a sprint with guys like Trenton," Mollema said. "So with two and a half kilometers to go I saw a good moment, and I just went full gas and got a good gap, and it's difficult to catch me back once I have 100 meters.

"I have two more races this week with Milano-Torino and Lombardy next Saturday," Mollema said. "It's nice to finish the season with a win like this, and who knows what is in it the rest of the week."

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