Lugano is a winning battlefield for  Team LAMPRE-MERIDA. After Niccolo Bonifazio won the GP Lugano, Sacha Modolo won the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia in the Swiss city.

Exploiting the help of the lead-out train of Ferrari and Richeze, the Italian sprinter did a perfect sprint which allowed him to beat Nizzolo, Mezgec and Haussler. This is the second victory for Modolo in the Giro d'Italia, the 4th for LAMPRE-MERIDA.

Modolo explained:"The finish was more demanding than the one in Jesolo, I prefer this kind of course, so I could do a very impressive sprint. 

"Yesterday I suffered like all the other sprinters but today I had good feelings, especcially on the Croce di Menaggio climb at 30 km to go. I noticed that I was better than my opponents: this gave me even more moral and I was very determined to exploit the support which Ferrari and Richeze gave me again.

"On the descent to Lugano, we were not in the front of the bunch, but we knew that the other teams could not organize a lead-out train like our so we succeded in taking the head positions when we reached the shores and there Ferrari and Richeze started their action. I only focused my attention on starting the sprint in the best moment.

"I'm very happy for me, my team mates and the sponsors and I'm proud because we've been working hard on improving the lead-out train feeling for months and now it works perfectly.

"The Giro d'Italia has been very hard. I don't feel superior to anyone, I think I'm a rider who sometimes achieves good things, but I have to say that I've achieved what I have here thanks to my team, and specifically, Ferrari and Max Richeze. My wins in these two stages are for them.

"I've done four years without a train and I've managed to gather some wins. It's more difficult, yes. I think that a rider, when he has my qualities, with a good kick, if they take you up there, it is difficult to get past you.

"Just look at Cavendish: when he doesn't have a train, he is beatable. I've beaten him once, and another time I've gone close, because he didn't have a train. When he has a train, he's even stronger. If you drop him off there, logically, he becomes almost unbeatable.

"I've always said that, and now I'm in his position, I can't say, 'No, I'm the strongest." I have an advantage over the others. I have a good kick, and if you deliver me to 150m, it's difficult to get past me.

"But the art is also in making the train work. I've been trying since January, because Ferrari has never been in this position: he used to do the sprints, he didn't set them up for someone else. So my chances of getting good results have improved because I have placed my trust in my team-mates, and I have persisted with the train.

"In Qatar, I could have chanced my hand alone, but instead, I worked with Ferrari. If you can't make three riders gel, you'll never make a train work. Now, Ferrari is strong, Max too, and so am I, and today we showed it."