Rosa wins Milan-Turin

Diego Rosa continued Astana's run of form in the late-season series of Italian one-day races, with victory at Milan-Turin. Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) came home in second after giving chase on the final climb while Rosa's teammate Fabio Aru took third place.

Astana took control of the bunch on the first of two late ascents of the Superga, setting a fast pace to bring back a number of speculative attacks, before shedding more off the back on the descent. The Kazakh team looked confident going into the final kilometres and, after nullifying yet more attacks, Rosa launched his move on the final climb with just over three kilometres to go.

There was some indecision in the bunch as to who would chase, and Wout Poels (Team Sky) finally made a move. After realising that this move was a dangerous one, Majka set off in chase. He caught Poels easily but Rosa was too far up the road already and he would have to settle for second. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) looked good for third heading into the final kilometre but was caught and passed by Aru, clearly delighted for the victory of his teammate and domestique. 

"Today was a really nice race for me. I'm from Torino and there were lots of people here for me. The team is really strong at the moment. This is a very beautiful victory and in Torino it is perfect," Rosa said after the stage. "Normally I work for the team but today was a good opportunity for me. Now I will look forward to Lombardia."

How it happened

The 156-rider peloton rolled out of San Giuliano Milanese just after midday as the series of Italian one-day races continued ahead of Il Lombardia this weekend. The race saw a number of riders returning to action after length layoffs, notably Richie Porte, who has been out of competition since the end of the Tour de France. Tre Valli Varesine winner Vincenzo Nibali wouldn't be riding, however.

Led by Movistar and Astana, the peloton kept them at close quarters and the gap never grew much more than that. The two teams looked eager to ensure the race came back together before the finish and set a blistering pace on the front. With 40 kilometres remaining the five out front had 3:26 but less than 10 kilometres later that had been cut down by two minutes. The catch seemed inevitable by then and despite a last-gasp surge from Malaguti it was gruppo compatto with 26km remaining.

With the break safely back in their ranks, Team Sky took the front of the peloton with world time trial champion Vasil Kiryienka using his turn of speed to shed a few riders. Following his teammates' lead Leopold Konig attacked on the final ascent of the Superga before the finish. In the form of Paolo Tiralongo, Astana claimed responsibility for chasing down the Czech rider and brought him back.

The bunch, still led by Astana, had been severely diminished by the time they reached the flat again with only around 30 riders remaining. The ceasefire ended when they hit the bottom of the Superga once again. Matteo Montaguti (AG2R-La Mondiale) ignited things, swiftly followed by Majka. The Polish rider didn't get too far before they were both brought back.

There were a number of speculative moves but it was Rosa that made the most effective with just under three kilometres to go. Having already dragged back another move, Majka went to the front to drag him back. The Tinkoff-Saxo rider had no initial reaction when Poels went with two kilometres remaining but managed to peg him back and set off in chase of Rosa.

Inside the barriers, Rosa could almost smell the finish line and victory. He put in one final dig to avoid getting caught and had plenty of time to celebrate as he crossed the line. 

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