After the fat bike world championship, Tom Pidcock celebrates a solo victory at the GP Larciano. The captain of the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, highly anticipated at this Tuscan appointment, did not disappoint and with an attack 12 kilometers from the finish flew towards victory. Behind him Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team), 12" back, then Anthon Charmig (Uno-X Mobility) completing the podium, followed by Adrià, Fancellu and Tiberi.
THE RACE - The race, held over a distance of 196 kilometers, came alive just a few kilometers after the start with an action involving nine men: Toralf Rydningen Martinsen (Uno X), Hartthijs de Vries (Unibet Rose Rockets), Diego Nembrini (General Store - Essegibi - F.Lli Curia), Thomas Gamba (General Store - Essegibi - F.Lli Curia), Thomas Rossetti (General Store - Essegibi - F.Lli Curia), Riccardo Biondani (Gragnano Sporting Club), Francesco Tessari (Gragnano Sporting Club), Matthew Kingston (Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente) and George Wood (Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente). Thanks to good cooperation, the breakaway riders managed to immediately gain a significant margin over the main group and at the first passage through the finish area the gap between the breakaway and the group was 4'08".
The gap between the breakaway and the group grew, reaching 4'50" at the passage through the finish area, when there were 7 laps remaining.
In the next lap the breakaway's advantage exceeded 5 minutes and remained so for many kilometers. On the first climb towards the Fornello locality the breakaway "exploded": those remaining at the front were Toralf Rydningen Martinsen (Uno X), Hartthijs de Vries (Unibet Rose Rockets), Diego Nembrini (General Store - Essegibi - F.Lli Curia), Matthew Kingston (Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente) and George Wood (Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente). A few kilometers later Kingston also gave up and so the quartet remained in command.
As the kilometers passed, Wood also dropped back, leaving only Martinsen, De Vries and Nembrini. When there were about eighty kilometers remaining to the finish line, the three had an advantage of 4'13" over the group. About ten kilometers later the advantage had been significantly reduced to 3'30".
After a long breakaway adventure, the generous Diego Nembrini (General Store - Essegibi - F.Lli Curia) slowed down, leaving the Norwegian Toralf Rydningen Martinsen and the Dutchman Hartthijs de Vries in command. On the final climb at the Fornello ascent, Radioinformazioni quantified the advantage of the two breakaway riders at 3'00" but then the group decisively accelerated. In the chase battle, Romain Grégoire (Groupama - FDJ United) crashed but then restarted without major consequences.
In the final thirty kilometers the cards were reshuffled and nine men moved to the front: Arrieta (UAE), O'Connor (Team Jayco AlUla), Charmig (Uno-X Mobility), Martinsen (UnoX), Izagirre (Cofidis), Hermans (Pinarello Q36.5), Gachignard (TotalEnergies), Jasch (Tudor) and de Vries (Unibet Rose Rockets). Shortly after Martinsen and de Vries, after a day in the breakaway, threw in the towel while in the group Pidcock, Fancellu and Scaroni were turning up the heat.
Twelve kilometers from the finish line, the British rider of the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team finally made his move and with an attack went after the breakaway riders, passed them and began his solo ride towards the Larciano finish line where he claimed his fifteenth road victory, his fifth of the season.
FINISHING ORDER
1 Pidcock Tom Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team 04:33:08
2 Scaroni Christian XDS Astana Team 00:12
3 Charmig Anthon Uno-X Mobility ,,
4 Adrià Roger Movistar Team ,,
5 Fancellu Alessandro MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort ,,
6 Tiberi Antonio Bahrain - Victorious ,,
7 Gachignard Thomas TotalEnergies ,,
8 Rondel Mathys Tudor Pro Cycling Team 00:18
9 O'Connor Ben Team Jayco AlUla 00:28
10 Grégoire Romain Groupama - FDJ United 00:40
To be updated
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