Bauke Mollema solos to victory in Trofeo Laigueglia

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Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) claimed victory at the Trofeo Laigueglia after he soloed clear of an elite group on the Capo Mele with 15km remaining and then maintained his advantage over the stiff ascent to Colla Micheri. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mauri Vansevenant (Deceuninck-QuickStep) led the chasing group home at 42 seconds.

Bernal had been among the chief animators of the race on four breathless laps of the finishing circuit on the Ligurian coast, and his fierce acceleration on the penultimate time up Colla Micheri had helped to tee up the day’s decisive move.

The impressive Clément Champoussin (AG2R Citroën Team) was the only rider who could match Bernal’s tempo on the ascent, but Mollema was part of a determined cadre of chasers who bridged across following the sinuous descent, together with teammate Giulio Ciccone, Vansevenant, Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), Biniam Girmay (Delko) and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ).

As the leaders left the seafront in Andora, Mollema sensed his opportunity and he powered his way clear on the shallow slopes of the Capo Mele. The initial hesitation in the chasing group allowed him to build a lead of 25 seconds by the foot of the final haul up to Colla Micheri, and he kept his gear turning over all the way up its steep slopes.

Behind, Bernal was once again aggressive on the climb but although his initial acceleration stung, he was unable to rid himself of his companions, with Landa, Champoussin, Vansevenant and, eventually, Ciccone, bridging back up to him. By the summit, they had cut Mollema’s advantage to 17 seconds, but the Dutchman’s lead extended thereafter, with Ciccone policing the chasers all the way to the finish.

Mollema made light work of the final drag over the Capo Mele to solo to his second win of the season, following his victory on the opening day of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var. The 2019 Tour of Lombardy winner will line out at Strade Bianche on Saturday, while he is also set to ride the Giro d’Italia alongside Ciccone and Vincenzo Nibali.

“It was a super nice to win here. I felt already really good for the last few weeks. I really wanted to try and start the season in a good way. It’s nice to have two wins already,” said Mollema, whose teammate Mads Pedersen won Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne at the weekend.

“We have already five wins now at the beginning of March, in Belgium, in Italy and in France. Hopefully, we can continue like this in the other Italian races coming up.”

How it unfolded

The coronavirus pandemic caused a spate of postponements and cancellations in the opening months of the season, but that has only added to the depth of the field in races along the Riviera in recent weeks. The Trofeo Laigueglia, a staple on the Italian calendar since 1964, boasts a roll of honour that includes Merckx, De Vlaeminck, Saronni and Bartoli, but its status had dropped gradually in the 21st century.

The quality on show in Wednesday’s field reversed that trend, with Bernal, Mollema, Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), Michael Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) and Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) among those lining up in Laigueglia. Absent, however, was Italo-Romanian Continental outfit Giotti Victoria-Savini Due, who withdrew at the last minute after an unnamed rider tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the race.

The opening half of the race was animated by a break composed of Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Mattia Bais (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec), Juri Hollman (Movistar), Mulu Hailemichael (Delko), John Archibald (Eolo Kometa), Vacek (Gazprom Rusvelo), Veljko Stojinic, Alessandro Iacchi (Vini Zabu' Brado KTM), Niccolò Salvietti (MG Kvis Vpm), Davide Persico (Team Colpack Ballan), Nikita Stalnov (Astana-Premier Tech) and Unai Cuadrado (Euskatel-Euskadi), who gained a maximum of almost four minutes on the peloton.

The break disintegrated on the first lap of the finishing circuit, where only Bais and Hollman could track Edet on Colla Micheri, while their advantage also crumbled as first Landa and then Bernal ignited the racing behind.

A peloton of 50 or so riders regrouped after that breathless first lap, but they were whittled down by the forcing of riders like Mollema, Nibali, Diego Rosa (Arkéa-Samsic) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) on the second lap. Edet, Hollman and Bais were caught over the summit of the second climb to Colla Micheri, and around 30 or so riders remained in contention come the penultimate lap.

Eddie Dunbar (Ineos Grenadiers) was the next rider to go on the offensive on the way up Colla Micheri, with James Knox (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and Champoussin jumping on his wheel. Shortly afterwards, Dunbar’s teammate Bernal bridged across after launching a searing acceleration of his own.

The Colombian continued to test himself all the way to the summit, and Champoussin could follow closely, but Mollema, Landa, Vansevenant, et al, were never out of sight. They latched back on over the other side, and then Mollema – as he did at Il Lombardia in 2019 – picked his moment wisely.