After struggling to land the first season victory, the Spanish professional continental team Caja Rural finally broke the ice in today's Vuelta a la Rioja. The team's Italian sprinter Francesco Lasca held off Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) and Ken Hanson (Optum) in a bunch kick after an aggressive race.

The talented Italian sprinter Francesco Lasca chose an untraditional approach to his professional career when he signed with the Spanish team Caja Rural prior do his debut season in 2012. With two victories, he immediately paid pack the squad's confidence, and today his fast kick put the team on the 2013 victory list in the Vuelta a la Rioja.

Lasca's final burst of speed came at the end of an aggressive race on the 158,7km route. With just two 3rd category climbs on the menu and a flat finishing circuit, most expected a bunch kick to decide the successor of last year's winner Evgeny Shalunov.

The race started off with a rapid pace, and despite a number of attempts involving the likes of Michael Albasini (Orica-GreenEdge) and Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Movistar), the peloton was still all together as they crested the first of the day's two climbs aft 36km of racing.

Moments later Arkimedes Arguelyes (Lokosphinx), Francisco Moreno (Caja Rural), Marco Corti (Colombia), Luis Mas (Burgos), Jon Larrinaga (Euskadi) and Juan Villegas (472 Colombia) managed to open up a gap. However, Orica-GreenEdge with Michael Matthews and Leigh Howard  and Movistar with Enriques Sanz wanted a bunch sprint, and the group was never allowed more than 1.30.

Sensing the inevitable capture, Mas went solo, and he was later joined by Francisco Javier Aramendia (Caj Rural). At the bottom of the race's second climb, the duo was, however, caught and after 90km of racing, it was all back together.

On the climb, the ProTeams proved their strength. Alejandro Valverde, Jose Herrada, Vladimir Karpets, Ruben Plaza (all Movistar), Mikel Astarloza, Jorge Azanza, Juan Jose Lobato (all Euskaltel), Michael Albasini, Michael Matthews, Wesley Sulzberger, Travis Meyer, Daryl Impey, Simon Clarke and Leigh Howard (all Orica-GreenEdge) formed a strong 14-man front group at the top of the ascent.

A frantic chase ensued with Caja Rural and Colombia trying to get back in contention, but the gap remained stable at around 20 seconds for several kilometres. However, the chase was aided by an organizational failure as the break was led off the course, and the race had to be temporarily stopped.

The commissaires chose to neutralize the gap of the break, and it was all back together as the race was restarted with 50km remaining. Orica-GreenEdge chose to keep the tempo high to ensure a bunch sprint for Matthews, and despite a number of attempts, now one managed to create any significant gap on the finishing circuit.

Euskaltel-Euskadi dominated the front inside the final kilometres in an attempt to set up sprinter Juan Jose Lobato, but Francesco Lasca ended up denying the bigger teams in the final bunch kick.

Result

1. Francesco Lasca (Caja Rural-RGA) 3:55:50
2. Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge)
3. Ken Hanson (Optum)
4. Eric Young (Optum)
5. Daryl Impey (Orica-GreenEdge)
6. Juan José Lobato (Euskaltel-Euskadi)
7. Enrique Sanz (Movistar Team)
8. Leigh Howard (Orica-GreenEdge)
9. Michael Friedman (Optum)
10. Unai Iparragirre (Euskadi)