Viviani wins RideLondon-Surrey Classic

Elia Viviani relied on his Deceuninck-QuickStep lead-out train to take a decisive win Sunday at the Prudential RideLondon-Surry Classic, outkicking Bora-Hansgrohe's Sam Bennett to the line while his teammate and final lead-out man Michael Mørkøv hung on for third.

Bennett lost his own lead-out train inside the final 2km when a touch of wheels took out a handful of Bora riders, leaving Viviani's team to take over duties on the front and deliver their man to the final 100 metres in perfect position.

"It was on the right," Viviani said of the crash in a television interview before the podium ceremony, "and I just saw the Bora guys go down, but didn’t see how it happened. Luckily, we were on the other side, so we missed that."

Once Viviani's well-drilled team took over, Bennett latched onto the Italian's wheel, but he couldn't overcome Viviani's top-end speed as the QuickStep sprinter notched his eighth win of the season after coming second to Bora's Pascal Ackermann in the same race last year.

"When we saw that the race didn’t make a selection on Box Hill we just went just for me," Viviani said. “We just tried to stay relaxed.

"We knew it was a crowded finish because everyone was there and everyone was really well organised. But we knew also we can move them out and use the legs from the Tour de France," he said, describing the well-attended and chaotic finale. 

“After a Grand Tour you always try to concentrate because you know the shape is good. It was really amazing teamwork because Michael finished third. First and third is quite good, so thanks to the team for sure."

The 30-year-old winner, who is rumoured to be looking for a new team for next season, also acknowledged that Sunday's victory on The Mall in London has special significance among his 75 professional wins.

"Like I said last year, this is probably one of the five Classics I have in my head to win in my career," Viviani said. "Now I just need the two big ones – Gent-Wevelgem and Milan-San Remo – so I'm going to work the rest of my career for that, too, so it’s good to add another one."

How it unfolded

The 169km route in and around London was 22km shorter than the previous edition and used much of the same course as the 2012 Olympic Games road race, heading out of London to the Surrey Hills and back again for the finish on The Mall.

With teams anxious to place a rider in the breakaway to ensure an easy day in the peloton, the fight to escape was an all-out battle until Lotto Soudal’s Stan Dewulf set off on a solo move 10km into the day. He was quickly joined by Alex Doswett (Katusha-Alpecin) and Pascal Eenkhoorn (Jumbo-Visma). The day’s escape trio took flight, and the chase was on for the rest of the afternoon.

The leaders' gap fluctuated over the next several kilometres, jumping up almost immediately to half a minute and then coming down to 10 seconds with 145km to go as more riders from the field began to attack. Julien Vermote (Dimension Data) escaped the bunch and tried to bridge, dangling in no man’s land about halfway between the breakaway and the bunch.

Up the road, the leaders' gap started to go out again and ballooned up to 2:30 with 135km remaining. Ten Kilometres later the gap to the field was well over three minutes, while Vermote continued to lose ground to the leaders in his bridge attempt.

That set the status for much of the day, as Vermote eventually faded back into the peloton and the lead trio's advantage hovered above three minutes.

The gap finally dipped below three minutes with 85km to go as Mitchelton-Scott went to the front to lead the chase. The gap was pegged at 2:20 witrh 83km to go when Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) lost the peloton’s pace on a small climb. Team Sunweb immediately went to the front of the bunch and drilled the pace, and so Ewan watched his chances for victory ride away.

Team Sunweb sprinter Michael Matthews put in a dig with just under 70km remaining, dragging along the peloton in pursuit and closing the gap to the leaders to 2:15. Matthews' move was short-lived, but 10km later Sunweb stirred the pot again with an attack from Casper Pedersen and Jumbo-Visma’s Mike Teunnisen that quickly gained a small advantage over the group.

The bridging duo gained 35 seconds on the bunch and lingered at 1:22 behind the breakaway with 55km remaining, as Bora-Hansgroghe took up chasing duties for sprinter Bennett back in the bunch, which was now 2:05 from the leaders.

Dowsett lost the pace up front in the break and started drifting back. With 50km to go, the chasing duo caught and passed Dowsett and closed to within 50 seconds of the two leaders. The peloton, however, was now just 1:10 from the front of the race.

The peloton brought Teunissen and Pedersen back into the fold with 43km to go, resetting the chase as the lead duo remained out front with a 21-second gap. Team Ineos came forward next to help with the chase, dooming the leaders’ day-long effort as the pack closed to around 15 seconds and then let them dangle.

Eenkhoorn was the first to surrender, giving in with just over 20km to go and fading back to the bunch. Dewulf continued on solo for a time, but he, too, was back in the bunch with 15km remaining, and the expected bunch sprint was inevitable.

Results

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#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Elia Viviani (Ita) Deceuninck-QuickStep3:46:15
2Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-HansgroheRow 1 - Cell 2
3Michael Mørkøv (Den) Deceuninck-QuickStepRow 2 - Cell 2
4Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-SegafredoRow 3 - Cell 2
5Amund Grøndahl Jansen (Nor) Team Jumbo-VismaRow 4 - Cell 2
6Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Dimension DataRow 5 - Cell 2
7Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team EmiratesRow 6 - Cell 2
8Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R La MondialeRow 7 - Cell 2
9Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto SoudalRow 8 - Cell 2
10Ethan Hayter (GBr) Great BritainRow 9 - Cell 2
11Moreno Hofland (Ned) EF Education FirstRow 10 - Cell 2
12Daryl Impey (RSA) Mitchelton-ScottRow 11 - Cell 2
13Matt Walls (GBr) Great BritainRow 12 - Cell 2
14Jonas Koch (Ger) CCC TeamRow 13 - Cell 2
15Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-MeridaRow 14 - Cell 2
16Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Team IneosRow 15 - Cell 2
17Davide Cimolai (Ita) Israel Cycling AcademyRow 16 - Cell 2
18Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension DataRow 17 - Cell 2
19Julien Trarieux (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTMRow 18 - Cell 2
20Julien Duval (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 19 - Cell 2
21Nikolas Maes (Bel) Lotto SoudalRow 20 - Cell 2
22Alessandro Fedeli (Ita) Delko Marseille Provence KTMRow 21 - Cell 2
23Romain Cardis (Fra) Direct EnergieRow 22 - Cell 2
24Joris Nieuwenhuis (Ned) Team SunwebRow 23 - Cell 2
25Gerben Thijssen (Ned) Lotto SoudalRow 24 - Cell 2
26Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Bahrain-MeridaRow 25 - Cell 2
27Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Deceuninck-QuickStepRow 26 - Cell 2
28Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team Jumbo-VismaRow 27 - Cell 2
29Christian Knees (Ger) Team Ineos3:46:24
30Roberto Ferrari (Ita) UAE Team Emirates3:46:28
31Dennis van Winden (Ned) Israel Cycling Academy3:46:36
32Davide Martinelli (Ita) Deceuninck-QuickStep3:46:39
33Marco Marcato (Ita) UAE Team Emirates3:46:49
34Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-MeridaRow 33 - Cell 2
35Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJRow 34 - Cell 2
36Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) EF Education FirstRow 35 - Cell 2
37Filippo Ganna (Ita) Team IneosRow 36 - Cell 2
38Iijo Keisse (Bel) Deceuninck-Quick-StepRow 37 - Cell 2
39Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Sunweb3:46:54
40Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) AG2R La MondialeRow 39 - Cell 2
41Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel Cycling AcademyRow 40 - Cell 2
42Alexis Guerin (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTMRow 41 - Cell 2
43Casper Pedersen (Den) Team SunwebRow 42 - Cell 2
44Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) CCC TeamRow 43 - Cell 2
45Gediminas Bagdonas (Lit) AG2R La MondialeRow 44 - Cell 2
46Michael Schär (Swi) CCC TeamRow 45 - Cell 2
47Harry Tanfield (GBr) Katusha-AlpecinRow 46 - Cell 2
48Nico Denz (Ger) AG2R La MondialeRow 47 - Cell 2
49Diego Rosa (Ita) Team IneosRow 48 - Cell 2
50Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol) CCC TeamRow 49 - Cell 2
51Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Bahrain-MeridaRow 50 - Cell 2
52Jenthe Biermans (Bel) Katusha-AlpecinRow 51 - Cell 2
53Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) CCC TeamRow 52 - Cell 2
54Leonardo Basso (Ita) Team IneosRow 53 - Cell 2
55James Shaw (GBr) Great BritainRow 54 - Cell 2
56Scott Thwaites (GBr) Great BritainRow 55 - Cell 2
57Julien El Fares (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTMRow 56 - Cell 2
58Julien Vermote (Bel) Dimension DataRow 57 - Cell 2
59Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStepRow 58 - Cell 2
60Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team SunwebRow 59 - Cell 2
61Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La MondialeRow 60 - Cell 2
62Olivier Le Gac (Fra) Groupama-FDJRow 61 - Cell 2
63Brian van Goethem (Ned) Lotto SoudalRow 62 - Cell 2
64Rasmus Tiller (Nor) Dimension DataRow 63 - Cell 2
65Mark Renshaw (Aus) Dimension DataRow 64 - Cell 2
66Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education FirstRow 65 - Cell 2
67Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-SegafredoRow 66 - Cell 2
68Connor Swift (GBr) Great BritainRow 67 - Cell 2
69Ian Stannard (GBr) Team IneosRow 68 - Cell 2
70Michael Hepburn (Aus) Mitchelton-ScottRow 69 - Cell 2
71Jos van Emden (Ned) Team Jumbo-VismaRow 70 - Cell 2
72Fabien Grellier (Fra) Direct EnergieRow 71 - Cell 2
73Koen de Kort (Ned) Trek-SegafredoRow 72 - Cell 2
74Timo Roosen (Ned) Team Jumbo-VismaRow 73 - Cell 2
75Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) CCC TeamRow 74 - Cell 2
76Cameron Meyer (Aus) Mitchelton-ScottRow 75 - Cell 2
77Shane Archbold (GBr) Great BritainRow 76 - Cell 2
78Daniel McLay (GBr) EF Education FirstRow 77 - Cell 2
79Tom Stweart (GBr) Great BritainRow 78 - Cell 2
80Maarten Wynants (Bel) Team Jumbo-VismaRow 79 - Cell 2
81Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Bahrain-Merida3:47:07
82Christopher Lawless (GBr) Team Ineos3:47:10
83Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb3:47:16
84Jack Bauer (NZl) Mitchelton-ScottRow 83 - Cell 2
85Fabien Schmidt (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTMRow 84 - Cell 2
86Robert Stannard (Aus) Mitchelton-ScottRow 85 - Cell 2
87Alex Frame (NZl) Trek-SegafredoRow 86 - Cell 2
88Guy Sagiv (Isr) Israel Cycling AcademyRow 87 - Cell 2
89Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned) Dimension DataRow 88 - Cell 2
90Krists Neilands (Lat) Israel Cycling AcademyRow 89 - Cell 2
91Francisco Ventoso (Spa) CCC TeamRow 90 - Cell 2
92Lennard Kämna (Ger) Team SunwebRow 91 - Cell 2
93Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) EF Education FirstRow 92 - Cell 2
94Iuri Filosi (Ita) Delko Marseille Provence KTMRow 93 - Cell 2
95Daniel Hoelgaard (Nor) Groupama-FDJRow 94 - Cell 2
96Oliviero Troia (Ita) UAE Team EmiratesRow 95 - Cell 2
97Taylor Phinney (USA) EF Education FirstRow 96 - Cell 2
98Tom Leezer (Ned) Team Jumbo-VismaRow 97 - Cell 2
99Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) Team Jumbo-VismaRow 98 - Cell 2
100Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Groupama-FDJ3:47:32
101Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Team Emirates3:48:04
102Tom Bohli (Swi) UAE Team EmiratesRow 101 - Cell 2
103Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha-Alpecin3:48:18
104Brian Nauleau (Fra) Team Total Direct Energie3:48:24
105Angelo Tulik (Fra) Direct EnergieRow 104 - Cell 2
106Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) Direct EnergieRow 105 - Cell 2
107Conor Dunne (Irl) Israel Cycling Academy3:48:27
108Martijn Tusveld (Ned) Team Sunweb3:48:38
109Alex Dowsett (GBr) Katusha-Alpecin3:49:01
110Mads Schmidt Würtz (Den) Katusha-Alpecin3:49:09
111Clément Carisey (Fra) Israel Cycling Academy3:49:17
112Alex Kirsch (Lux) Trek-SegafredoRow 111 - Cell 2
113Edoardo Affini (Ita) Mitchelton-Scott3:49:21
114Rui Oliveira (Por) UAE Team Emirates3:49:27
115Stan Dewulf (Bel) Lotto Soudal3:49:34
116Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Delko Marseille Provence KTM3:49:52
117Michael Albasini (Swi) Mitchelton-ScottRow 116 - Cell 2
118Jens Debusschere (Bel) Katusha-Alpecin3:50:10
119Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe3:50:27
120Erik Baska (Svk) Bora-HansgroheRow 119 - Cell 2
121Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Bora-HansgroheRow 120 - Cell 2
122Gabriel Cullaigh (GBr) Great BritainRow 121 - Cell 2
123Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe50:56:00
DNFJuraj Sagan (Svk) Bora-HansgroheRow 123 - Cell 2
DNFMatteo Moschetti (Ita) Trek-SegafredoRow 124 - Cell 2
DNFWill Clarke (Aus) Trek-SegafredoRow 125 - Cell 2
DNFPim Ligthart (Ned) Direct EnergieRow 126 - Cell 2
DNFAdrien Petit (Fra) Direct EnergieRow 127 - Cell 2
DNFJacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Groupama-FDJRow 128 - Cell 2
DNFBenoit Vaugrenard (Fra) Groupama-FDJRow 129 - Cell 2
DNFAlexis Gougeard (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 130 - Cell 2
DNFCaleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto SoudalRow 131 - Cell 2
DNFFrederik Frison (Bel) Lotto SoudalRow 132 - Cell 2
DNFJay Thomson (RSA) Dimension DataRow 133 - Cell 2
DNFMatti Breschel (Den) EF Education FirstRow 134 - Cell 2
DNFNathan Haas (Aus) Katusha-AlpecinRow 135 - Cell 2

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Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.

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