A tricolore sought after and pursued from the very first kilometers. Cuneo crowns Jonathan Milan, the new Italian champion: decisive was the work by Lidl-Trek which controlled the entire race from the start in Asti. Second place for Tommaso Dati of Team Ukyo, among the best performers of today's race, third place for Alessandro Romele of XDS Astana.

THE RACE. High pace despite the scorching heat and the 232 kilometers to cover. Mattia Bais (Team Polti VisitMalta), Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Manuel Oioli (Swatt Club), Luca Vergallito (Alpecin - Premier Tech) and Andrea Cantoni (Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente) opened the dance by attacking from the very first moments, after 40 kilometers they were caught by Tommaso Bessega (Team Polti VisitMalta), Santiago Ferraro and Martin Marcellusi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Matteo Regnanti (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali), Marco Palomba (S.C. Padovani Polo Cherry Bank), Lorenzo Ginestra (Swatt Club), Filippo D'Aiuto (General Store - Essegibi - F.Lli Curia) and Nicolò Garibbo (Team UKYO). At the 50th kilometer Luca Cretti (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort), Alessandro Fancellu, Samuele Zoccarato and Lorenzo Nespoli (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort) and Mattia Gaffuri (Team Picnic PostNL) joined the leading group, with Ginestra who fell back losing contact with the escapees. 

The breakaway riders maintained an advantage of about one minute over the main group, then Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Lorenzo Mark Finn (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies) reached the leaders to control the race and prevent attacks that would have disrupted the sprinters' plans. After 70 km eighteen riders continued to set the pace, the situation at the front shifted several times until 84 kilometers from the finish, when the group - at the end of a long chase - became compact again.

From that moment on the trio Ciccone-Bagioli-Zana pulled at the front, ten kilometers from the finish - in the final circuit of Cuneo - Milan found himself without teammates, exhausted from all the work done throughout the day: the Friuli sprinter went on to close down on those who attempted a surprise attack, then in the final he launched his sprint recovering on Romele and placing his wheel ahead of everyone.

«I didn't have much energy to shout at the end of such a demanding day - he said at the finish -, we were always on top of it, we pulled the entire race, this breakaway put us in difficulty, it was demanding to close it down, my teammates did their best to arrive in the sprint, they did incredible work». 

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