Davide Ballerini wins Memorial Pantani

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Davide Ballerini (Androni-Sidermec) won the Memorial Marco Pantani after he out-paced 18-man leading group in Cesenatico. The Italian beat David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) into second place while his Androni teammate Francesco Gavazzi took third.

The final lap of the finishing circuit was animated by a late attack from Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), who clipped clear of the front group with three kilometres remaining. Nibali, who was testing his sharpness in what is his final outing before next Sunday’s World Championships road race in Innsbruck, was caught within sight of the flamme rouge.

In the ensuing group sprint, Ballerini proved the quickest in the sprint to claim the biggest victory of his career to date. His victory also meant that all fifteen editions of the Memorial Marco Pantani have been won by Italian riders, dating back to Damiano Cunego’s win in the inaugural event in 2004.

Coming a week ahead of the Worlds, this year’s race served as an important tune-up for a number of contenders, including Nairo Quintana (Movistar), who rode strongly and finished in the front group. Italian national coach Davide Cassani fielded a strong squad that included Fabio Aru (UAE-Team Emirates), a rider desperately in search of form ahead of next weekend’s appointment on Austrian roads.

The first break of the day took shape after 10 kilometres, with Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani-CSF) and Alexander Evtushenko (Lokosphink) joining Samuele Battistella (Italy), Daniel Turek (Israel Cycling Academy) and Davide Gaburro (Amore & Vita-Prodir) at the head of the race.

This quintet built up a lead of 6 minutes before Nibali’s Bahrain-Merida squad took up the reins of pursuit after 50km. Their pressure saw the gap reduced to 4 minutes come the top of the first climb of Montevecchio.

The race sparked into live on the second ascent of Montevecchio, when Quintana went on the offensive from the main peloton in the company of Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida), Eddie Dunbar (Team Sky), Dario Cataldo (Italy) and Marco Tizza (Nippo-Vini Fantini). This move was ultimately deemed too dangerous to be allowed clear, but only after a frantic pursuit that also saw the earlier escape snuffed out by the main bunch.

On the next climb, Dunbar was again on the offensive, and his initial forcing would help to trigger what proved to be the race-deciding move, as Vincenzo Nibali, Franco Pellizotti, Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), David Gaudu-Groupama FDJ), Davide Brambilla (Italy), Ben Hermans (Israel Cycling Academy), Serge Pauwels (Team Dimension Data), Davide Ballerini, Marco Cattaneo, Francesco Gavazzi, Fausto Masnada, (Androni-Sidermec), Warren Barguil (Team Fortuneo Samsic), Ivan Santaromita, Marco Tizza (Nippo Vini Fantini), Guillaume Martin and Xandro Meurisse (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) joining the Irishman off the front.

Quintana and Gaudu were to the fore once they hit the climb of Longiano, but while they were unable to shed their companions, they did help to stretch the break’s lead out to two minutes, meaning that the race was down to just 18 contenders come the finishing circuit around Cesenatico.

Bahrain-Merida and Androni-Sidermec were the teams with strength in numbers on the run-in, and they duly exchanged the weightiest blows in the finale. Nibali’s attack with 3 kilometres remaining was a determined one, but the red jerseys of Androni massed on the front to bring him back. The stage was then set for Ballerini, who produced a fine sprint to claim the spoils.

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