Astana worked hard all day to set up Fabio Aru for his first classics win in today's Milan-Turin. In the end, the Italian had to settle for fourth but managed to beat key rivals Joaquim Rodriguez and Alberto Contador.

"This was my first race back since the Vuelta, and the team strategy was to work for Aru and get him to the foot of the last climb to let him try and win a classic," Paolo Tiralongo said after today's Milan-Turin. Tiralongo and his teammates brought Fabio Aru in a select group to the base of the only two climbs of the day at 170km and 190km in the race.

Aru fought a tough battle against motivated and strong riders on the final climb, watching patiently as Vuelta a España champion and 2012 Milan-Turin winner Alberto Contador of Spain tried to shake off the young Italian.

In the final kilometer a surprise attack from Italian rider Giampaolo Caruso gave him the victory, defeating Contador and Aru.

Aru finished 4th on Wednesday, 13 seconds behind Caruso and four seconds ahead of Contador.

With a strong showing on Wednesday, Astana Pro Team has a very strong contender for Sunday's final major classic of the season at Giro Lombardia.