Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani) confirmed his status as Italy’s best puncheur when he claimed his second victory in the Coppa Sabatini two years after his first win. With a dominant performance in the uphill sprint, he held off Andrea Pasqualon (Roth) and Carlos Barbero (Caja Rural) to take his fifth win in the second half of the season.

 

We have gathered a few reactions.

 

Colbrelli: Winning is the only way to show that I deserve to go to Qatar

Bardiani-CSF and Sonny Colbrelli have delivered another great feat. Today, in Peccioli, the Italian rider claimed the 64th edition of Coppa Sabatini, repeating the success he took in 2014. Colbrelli won the final sprint after an amazing job of his teammates, leaving behind Pasqualon (Team Roth) and Barbero (Caja Rural). This is his sixth wins in 2016 while for Bardiani-CSF the number of victories is now eleven.

 

“Yesterday and the day before, at Giro della Toscana, we did great performances but I only got close to the win,” said Colbrelli. “We spent a lot of energy and our worry today was that we would pay for these efforts. Well, looking at our performances, we were wrong. My teammates deserve compliments and my win was the best way to repay their efforts”.

 

During this final part of the season, Colbrelli is enjoying a golden moment, taking five success since August. 

 

“Just after Tour de Pologne I looked at my seasonal palmares and I targeted two wins before the end of the season. Now I have five, I could not ask for more than this. This is not the first time I have so good condition and the key factor is the feeling with the team - they’re on top form too, they support and trust me. This is the ideal condition for a rider.

 

“The only regret I have is about the European Championships. I wanted and I could do better. Looking at my last performances, I can only say that it was a bad day”.

 

The schedule of Bardiani-CSF includes six races before the end of the season - Giro dell’Emilia, GP Beghelli, Tre Valli Varesine, Milano-Torino, Gran Piemonte and Il Lombardia. Colbrelli will race GP Beghelli, Tre Valli Varesine and Gran Piemonte, aiming to continue this great moment.

 

“These races are three new chances to make this season memorable, for myself and for the team as well. I have a dream, racing the Worlds in Qatar. I want to convince CT Cassani that I can be a useful rider for the Italian squad. And the only way is by making great performances”.

 

"We did a good part of the race with the team pulling,” he told SpazioCiclismo. For two days we have worked and today the efforts were felt . Anyway we did really well and I repaid the teammates with victory.

 

“In Plumelec I had a bad day. And it is something that happens to great champions. I wanted to prove that and I am happy."

 

Pasqualon: Colbrellie was not unbeatable

Andrea Pasqualon  Roth finished second. 

 

"Another second place means that there is a bit of regret,” he told SpazioCiclismo. “Sonny was not unbeatable, with a little more cunning I could have won. Maybe I waited a bit too much, but he was really good, congratulations to him. This is one of the races of my dreams so it is a shame with the missed victory.  Sooner or later it will come.

 

"I still believe in success, I will not give up. The year was good, but to raise my arms would give more value to the work done during the year. Now I will do the Tre Valli Varesine , then a few races in Germany before closing the season at the Tour of Hainan  at the end of October.”

 

"In the last kilometer, I was on Guarnieri’s wheel, fifth or sixth,” he told Tuttobiciweb,” Then I had to make two sprints: the first to close a gap with 400 meters to go, the second to try to pass Colbrelli on the right but I had no more energy. Now I wonder if I should have waited for someone else to close the gap we thought someone else. But it’s like poker: some ate bluffing, some dare, and there is only one who chooses the right card at the right time."

 

“I would like now to finally have the chance to race in a great team, even if I have to thank Roth that believed in me even when, at times, even I no longer believed in myself.”

 

Hivert back on form with fifth place in Coppa Sabatini

For Fortuneo-Vital Concept, Jonathan Hivert, well protected all day, finished fifth. "We missed the win but this is a top 5 in a good field," stated his manager Denis Leproux.

 

Jonathan Hivert said : "The uphill finishsuited me well. We had to stay alert all day and arrive well placed at the bottom of the last climb to give everything in the final. With a finish like this, I was almost forced to deliver a good result. During the race, I even thought that I could do better because I had good legs today. The entire team helped me. We are united and it is evident in the race. In the final Flo Vachon di well. He said ‘You stay in my wheel and I take care of everything,’ and he dropped me off in the best conditions at the bottom of the last climb. I'm pleased with my feelings in difficult races.”

 

Sbaragli too far back in uphill sprint at Coppa Sabatini

Kristian Sbaragli was Dimension Data’s best placed rider of the day, in 9th.

 

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka were riding well as unit, always positioned near the front of the main group together. The race was one which suited the punchy Italian fast man, Kristian Sbaragli and the team were riding in full support of him today. It was with 3 laps of the final 12.2km circuit to go, when the African Team decided to take the reigns and make the racing a bit harder. This pretty much nullified the gap to the break and on the penultimate lap, Nic Dougall drove the peloton into the 1.5km finishing climb before Jaco Venter took over on the positive gradient and caught the break.

 

On the final lap, Ryan Gibbons, the stagiaire, did a good strong turn at the head of the race while Mark Cavendish and Jaco Venter continued to help Sbaragli keep position leading into the last climb. The final time up the switchback road to Peccioli was at an extremely high speed and it was actually difficult to gain positions on the twisty road. 44 riders rounded the last bend together and it was strong man’s sprint to the line. Colbrelli took a good win while Sbaragli had to settle for 9th on the day.

 

Kristian Sbaragli said:

 

”I know this race well, it was the 3rd time I have done it. The result was not the best for us, I took the last corner with 1km to go 2 or 3 spots too far behind. Everyone in front of me was pretty strong so I couldn’t come past. I only came around 1 guy just before the finish-line. It was a tough finish but the race as a whole was quite slow all day and that was not too good for us. The good thing is the team worked really well and I must say thanks to Cav who was looking after me all day. We are looking to win Beghelli on Sunday, it is a really good race for us so we will give our best. ”

 

Voss out of position for uphill sprint at Coppa Sabatini

BORA – ARGON 18 supported therefore Paul Voss, a rider who proved several times in the past to be able to master these kinds of finishes with the best. In the final lap Cesare Benedetti and Sam Bennett tried to position Voss well in the peloton. But they were blocked with about 2k, to go and Voss had to enter the final 1000m around position 35. It was too far back to be able to score a top result. Still BORA – ARGON 18 presented themselves with a great team work after the win yesterday in the Giro della Toscana.

 

“Before the final climb there was a crosswind section. Silvio [Herklotz] and Emu [Buchmann] could not push in the front there. Then Cesare and Sam were with Paul, but they were blocked on the right side of the peloton with 2k, to go. It was too late to repair the situation. When you don’t enter this final climb in position 5 to 8, you have no chance anymore,” said André Schulze, sports director.

 

Daniel Martinez close to first pro win at Coppa Sabatini

Bad luck for Wilier Triestina – Southeast in the Coppa Sabatini – Gp Città di Peccioli where a brilliant Daniel Felipe Martinez was so close to his first professional win but his dreams ended with 500 metres to go. The quick reaction from the peloton stopped Martinez and so the best of the riders was once again Filippo Pozzato, 15th.

 

Bad legs for Visconti at Coppa Sabatini

It wasn’t to be this time for Giovanni Visconti, who missed the legs he found in the previous two days to contest the victory in the Coppa Sabatini, held on Thursday over 195km and a closing circuit with an uphill finish in Peccioli, Tuscany. Despite consistent work from the likes of Betancur, Amador and Carapaz, in pursuit of the day’s early, two-man move by Ballerini (ITA) and Ferrari (CJR), the Italian had to stay content with 17th as in-form Sonny Colbrelli (ITA) took a convincing success. The group managed by José Luis Laguía will almost invariably remain together in Italy - with only Malori and Carapaz resting up and leaving room for Lobato and Dani Moreno - for another two prestigious races: the Giro dell’Emilia (Saturday) and the GP Beghelli (Sunday).

 

Rosa gains confidence for Milan-Turin title defence at Coppa Sabatini

Diego Rosa crossed the finish line of this Coppa Sabatini in the front group. With his captain Fabio Aru they tried to do a good race. They were at the front when a small group took an advantage on the descent from Peccioli but it came down to a sprint.

 

Just behind the sprinters, Diego Rosa crossed the finish line. The Italian rider of the Astana Pro Team was smiling because, after the crash in the descent from Monte Serra yesterday that forced him to retire from the Giro della Toscana, the sensations he had in today's race were pretty good: 

 

“Of course I had some pain here and there but nothing particularly relevant and I can look really confidently at the next week races.

 

“Milano-Torino, that I won last year, and Il Lombardia are the last two important goals of my season. Even the Giro dell’Emilia on next Saturday is very suitable to my skills. We will be there with Fabio Aru as captain and we will be a very strong team so I would like to do good in these three races, for me or for my team mates.

 

“Yesterday’s fall was not pleasant but luckily, it was nothing serious.”

 

Bad luck for Novo Nordisk at Coppa Sabatini

Team Novo Nordisk took on Italy’s Coppa Sabatini on Thursday, once again facing off against the best cycling teams in the world.

 

“Today was the kind of race I love,” said Team Novo Nordisk rider Charles Planet, “since it was mostly a short uphill all day and a 1km climb at finish. I was surprised to see how good I felt today, too. I was feeling very comfortable the entire race, and I was feeling really confident for the last climb, since I knew that I’d have a good punch.”

 

Planet maintain good position as the race began to ascend the final time, but a crash on one of challenging switchbacks cut the group, leaving Planet to fight regain contact.

 

“I don’t know from where this bad luck is coming from, “Planet said, “especially when I’m feeling as good as I was today. But that crash with 3km to go ruined my day. I gave everything to try and reconnect back, but the group was split and I couldn’t do anything against the situation. I’m so disappointed and frustrated. Cycling is my passion, but tonight hurt.”

 

A group of just over 40 riders emerged following the crash, but without a Team Novo Nordisk present. Planet continued to chase, but was unable to catch up to the leaders as Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani – CSF) crossed the finish line for the win. Team Novo Nordisk’s Joonas Henttala (FIN) finished best for the squad at 47th, 0:24 behind Colbrelli, with Planet coming in at 63rd and 1:13 behind.