CyclingQuotes.com uses cookies for statistics and targeting ads. This information is shared with third parties.
ACCEPT COOKIES » MORE INFO »

Every day we bring you more pro-cycling news

Italian Lampre rider accelerates clear of a select group of favourites to take a solo win ahead of Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez and teammate Damiano Cunego

Photo: Sirotti

COPPI E BARTALI

RACE PROFILE
|
NEWS

DIEGO ULISSI

RIDER PROFILE
|
NEWS

UAE TEAM EMIRATES

TEAM PROFILE
|
NEWS
21.03.2013 @ 17:51 Posted by Jesper Johannesen

Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) once again made it clear that he is a rising star by taking an impressive solo victory in the first of two hilly stages in the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. He ended up 34 seconds ahead of Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez and took over the overall lead.

 

On a hard day where the repeated occurrence of the Monte Tiffi climb had done some damage and reduced the peloton to just a 9-rider front group, Ulissi countered an attack by teammate and fellow GC captain Damiano Cunego with a little more than 10 km remaining. Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez tried to join the talented Italian, but he failed to close the gap.

 

Having already made his fantastic form visible in the Paris-Nice where he took an overall top 10, Ulissi soloed on, and no one was able to make any inroads on his advantage. On the contrary, the gap kept growing, and at the finish line he had 34 seconds on his lone pursuer.

 

Cunego sprinted ahead of his companions as the group arrived 1.11 in arrears and ended up a fantastic day for Lampre. With his victory, Ulissi takes the overall lead 58 seconds ahead of Rubiano and 1.17 ahead of Cunego.

 

The Lampre rider will try do what he did not manage to do last: defend the jersey all the way to the finish on Sunday. In 2012 he won two stages, but lost the overall lead in the final time trial. That time trial is scheduled for Saturday, but before that Ulissi will have an opportunity to gain further time in another hilly stage tomorrow.

 

An early escape

The second stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali was a difficult affair and looked to be one of the key stages of the race. After a completely flat opening, the race hit a final circuit around the city of Sogliano al Rubicone, and with the difficult Monte Tiffi to be climbed 5 times, the potential for an attacking race was there.

 

Early on, 5 riders managed to create a gap on the peloton. Jacobe Keough (UnitedHealthCare), Dominique Cornu (Topsport Vlaanderen), Lukas Pöstlberger (Team Gourmetfein), Peter Kusztor (Utensilnord) and Manuel Amaro (Ceramica Flaminia) made up the day's early breakaway.

 

With his attacking nature, Cesare Benedetti (NetApp-Endura) decided to close the gap on his own, and after a hard chase, he made contact with the front group. In the peloton, the Katusha team of race leader Maxim Belkov made sure to keep the gap under control.

 

The break is brought back

On the Monte Tippi, Keogh and Cornu were both dropped from the break. In the peloton, the pace picked up rapidly as Lampre and Cannondale tried to put their rivals under pressure. With two laps and 44 km left to race, it the break was caught, and the battle of the favourites could begin.

 

Maxim Belkov had been dropped and had great problems defending his leader's jersey. He managed to get back to the front for a short while, but as they hit the Monte Tippi again, the Russian breakaway specialist was dropped for good.

 

The peloton had been drastically reduced and now consisted of 18 riders: Leopold Konig (NetApp-Endura), Ivan Basso and Moreno Moser (Cannondale), Daniele Pietropolli, Damiano Cunego and Diego Ulissi (Lampre.Merida), Francesco Bongiorno (Bardiani-Csf), Matteo Rabottini and Fabio Taborre (Fantini-Selle Italia), Franco Pellizotti, Emanuele Sella and Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Androni-Venezuela), Davide Rebellin (CCC Polsat), Philip Deignan (Unitedhealthcare), Sergio Pardilla (Mtn Qhubeka), Radoslav Rogina (Adria Mobil), Matija Kvasina and Riccardo Zodil (Gourmetfein Simplon). As they passed the finish line to start the final lap, Rabottini attacked and immediately created a gap.

 

Rabottini crashes while in the lead

Disaster struck for last year's winner of the mountains jersey in the Giro as he crashed while he was still alone at the front. Before he got up, he was caught and passed by the group, and Fabio Taborre was now the lone representative of the Vini Fantini squad.

 

Moments later Cunego, Moser, Pietropolli and Deignan managed to create a gap, but a hard chase by Rebellin closed the gap. Cunego was, however, in an attacking mood, and he put in another acceleration - just to be reeled in a few kilometres later.

 

That was the signal for Ulissi to put in his decisive acceleration. Rubiano was able to join him for a short while, but the hard pace of Ulissi on the steep slopes of Monte Tiffi forced the Venezuelan to drop off.

 

Ulissi managed to keep up the pace on the downhill run-in to the line, and he even extended his advantage. In the end, he was well clear of Rubiano and took the leader's jersey in the race for the second consecutive year.

MORE NEWS:

VIEW SELECTED

Bycykling 101: Navigering i byens gader og cykelvenlige... 27.11.2023 @ 12:11The Best Danish Cyclist To Bet On At 2022 Tour De France 13.01.2022 @ 15:262022 Upcoming Tournament Overview 03.01.2022 @ 09:45Best Place to Find Stand-Up Paddleboards 16.06.2021 @ 08:16What are Primoz Roglic’s Chances to Win 2021 Tour de Fr... 17.03.2021 @ 08:37Amazing victory by young champion Sarah Gigante 04.02.2021 @ 14:21Three reasons why cycling is one of the best ways to ex... 28.09.2020 @ 12:03Why do businesses use meeting room managers? 14.09.2020 @ 13:42Five things that you can do, if you want to gain more f... 20.08.2020 @ 15:38One for the road 09.06.2020 @ 15:25List of CyclingQuotes previews 07.05.2020 @ 13:20Blue Energy: room for all interests 26.08.2019 @ 12:56Get your daily dose of exercise at home 08.07.2019 @ 10:443 good advice to be able to afford your favorite bike 25.02.2019 @ 12:32Cycle through gorgeous landscapes 22.10.2018 @ 21:41Balance Your Economy and Diet and Start Saving Money 08.10.2018 @ 11:18Stay Safe: 3 Helmets That Can Keep Your Head Protected... 20.07.2018 @ 07:59Planning to bet on Tour De France - Bet types and strat... 24.05.2018 @ 14:18Basics of cycling betting 25.10.2017 @ 13:10Bauer moves to ORICA-SCOTT 28.08.2017 @ 10:45End of the road for CyclingQuotes 08.01.2017 @ 16:00Rui Costa confirms Giro participation 07.01.2017 @ 12:55Van Avermaet: I am not afraid of Sagan 07.01.2017 @ 09:45Unchanged course for E3 Harelbeke 07.01.2017 @ 09:32Jenner takes surprise win at Australian U23 Championships 07.01.2017 @ 08:53No replacement for Meersman at Fortuneo-Vital Concept 06.01.2017 @ 19:14Barguil with two goals in 2017 06.01.2017 @ 19:06More details about French Vuelta start emerges 06.01.2017 @ 14:16Kristoff to start season at Etoile de Besseges 06.01.2017 @ 14:10Ion Izagirre announces schedule for first year at Bahrain 06.01.2017 @ 12:40JLT Condor optimistic for Herald Sun Tour 06.01.2017 @ 09:19Haas leads Dimension Data trio in fight for Australian... 06.01.2017 @ 09:15Sagan spearheads Bora-hansgrohe at Tour Down Under 06.01.2017 @ 09:12Henao and Thomas lead Sky Down Under 06.01.2017 @ 09:09Bauer crowned New Zealand TT champion 06.01.2017 @ 08:33Van der Poel ready to defend Dutch title 05.01.2017 @ 21:00Pantano ambitious for first Tour with Trek 05.01.2017 @ 20:41Landa with new approach to the Giro 05.01.2017 @ 20:36Sunweb Development Team sign Goos and Zepuntke 05.01.2017 @ 20:27Dumoulin confirms Giro participation 05.01.2017 @ 20:19Bauer targets victories in Quick-Step debut 05.01.2017 @ 20:16Gaviria and Boonen lead Quick-Step in San Juan 05.01.2017 @ 20:13Team Sunweb presented in Germany 05.01.2017 @ 20:09ASO take over major German WorldTour race 05.01.2017 @ 11:01Team Sunweb unveil new jersey 05.01.2017 @ 10:54Reactions from the Australian TT Championships 05.01.2017 @ 08:27Dennis defends Australian TT title 05.01.2017 @ 08:21Scotson takes back to back U23 TT titles in Australia 05.01.2017 @ 08:15Utrecht on track to host 2020 Vuelta 04.01.2017 @ 18:28Pre-season setback for Talansky 04.01.2017 @ 17:56Kristoff: It's not impossible for me to win in Rou... 04.01.2017 @ 17:49Boom close to first cyclo-cross win in LottoNL debut 04.01.2017 @ 17:40UAE Abu Dhabi make late signing of Arab rider 04.01.2017 @ 17:36UAE Abu Dhabi unveil new jersey 04.01.2017 @ 17:30BMC unveil race schedule 04.01.2017 @ 17:21

Currently no news in this list

Yang YANG
24 years | today
Sergio Roman MARTÍN
28 years | today
Jonathan HERRMANN
30 years | today
Yue BAI
32 years | today
Kamila JANU
24 years | today

© CyclingQuotes.com