Thomas Silva rediscovers winning ways two months after an excellent Giro d'Italia, and does so in one of the most prestigious classics on the Spanish calendar. The Uruguayan XDS Astana rider, who wore the maglia rosa for a day following his victory in Veliko Tarnovo, today prevailed at the Clásica Villafranca de Ordizia (167 km) with a powerful and composed finish.

After an eight-man breakaway and an increasingly selective series of laps on the Abaltzisketa circuit, the Sino-Kazakh team helped manage a succession of attacks on the last climb. Then Silva went clear on the descent alongside Igor Arrieta (UAE) with 4 km to go and beat him at the Basque finish line, while the sprint behind them saw Christian Scaroni crown his work with a well-timed lunge for the podium. Sixth place for another Italian, Ludovico Crescioli of Polti VisitMalta.

TOP TEN

1 Silva Guillermo Thomas XDS Astana Team 3:54:19

2 Arrieta Igor UAE Team Emirates - XRG ,,

3 Morgado António UAE Team Emirates - XRG 0:01

4 Scaroni Christian XDS Astana Team ,,

5 Tesfatsion Natnael Movistar Team ,,

6 Crescioli Ludovico Team Polti VisitMalta ,,

7 Ulissi Diego XDS Astana Team ,,

8 Vermaerke Kevin UAE Team Emirates - XRG ,,

9 Sorarrain Gorka Caja Rural - Seguros RGA ,,

10 Díaz José Manuel Burgos Burpellet BH ,,