Serpa wins Trofeo Laigueglia

José Serpa continued Lampre-Merida's fine start to the 2014 season by winning the Trofeo Laigueglia, beating Patrik Sinkewitz (Meridiana-Kamen) in a two-up sprint, while Andrea Pasqualon (Team Area Zero) led the chasers home in 3rd place.

Serpa laid the foundations for his victory by following Sinkewitz's attack on the day's final major climb, the Cima Paravenna, in the company of Matteo Rabottini (Neri Sottoli-YellowFluo). The pace soon proved too much for Rabottini, but Sinkewitz's forcing helped to pull Serpa away from the reduced main peloton.

"Sinkewitz was the strongest on the climb, and Rabottini and I struggled to hold his wheel," Serpa admitted afterwards.

By the summit of the Paravenna, with over 35 kilometres still to race, they held a 34-second margin over Rabottini, while Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida) led the bunch over the top a further 14 seconds back.

On the long, sweeping descent back towards the coast, Serpa and Sinkewitz extended their advantage over the bunch still further, and they led by some 1:08 with 25 kilometres to go.

At the base of the descent, the chasing group, which now contained 26 riders, finally began to arrange itself into some semblance of cohesion, with the Cannondale team of Marco Marcato and Davide Villella making particular efforts to peg back the two leaders. By contrast, with Serpa up the road, Lampre-Merida’s two leaders Cunego and Diego Ulissi were able to comfortably in the chasing group, poised in the event of a catch.

Try as they might, however, the pursuers could not make sufficient inroads into Serpa and Sinkewitz's lead. With 8 kilometres remaining, their lead was down to 45 seconds, but they put up fierce resistance over the final hillock, the Capo Santa Croce, to maintain almost 30 seconds of that margin by the time they entered the final kilometre.

In a tense sprint in Laigueglia, Serpa had just too much for Sinkewitz, thus claiming Lampre’s second win in the race in as many years after Filippo Pozzato’s victory twelve months ago.

Andrea Pasqualon won the sprint for third, 13 seconds later, holding off Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani-CSF), Ulissi and Villella.

The race took place on a route that was slightly altered from the traditional parcours due to a recent landslide on the Capo Mele, but in general terms, the character of the ambient Ligurian race maintained unchanged.

The early exchanges were enlivened by a break featuring Robinson Chalapud (Colombia), Simone Petilli (Zero Pro), Songezo Jim (MTN-Qhubeka) and Christophe Laborie (Bretagne-Séché), who went clear on the Balestrino. Once their lead hit the 7-minute mark, Neri Sottoli-YellowFluo and Cannondale began to take up the chase in earnest, and their 105km-long escape was brought to an end on the run-in to the foot of the Parvenna.

Once on the climb proper, Serpa and Sinkewitz picked up the baton and began to force the issue, and the pair would go on to decide the race in Laigueglia.

"I was even dropped with two kilometres to go, but fortunately Sinkewitz didn't realise and even lowered the pace," Serpa admitted, according to Tuttobici. “"When I got back on I didn't collaborate because I had a big responsibility to Ulissi behind, who could have won. The sprint was easy, because Sinkewitz was very tired."

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