Bardiani was a surprise inclusion on the list of wildcard recipients for the Amstel Gold Race and the team lined up with the hope of animating the race as well as taking a top result with Sonny Colbrelli or Enrico Battaglin. While the two captains both abandoned the race, the team accomplished the first part of the mission when Nicola Boem animated the race.

Bardiani is mostly racing in their home country but this year the Italian team has also been doing a lot of one-day races in Northern Europe. It was all crowned with the decision by the Amstel Gold Race organizers to give them a wildcard for the Dutch classic.

On paper the race looked to be a good opportunity for the in-form Sonny Colbrelli who has taken more than 10 top 5 results in the early part of the season, and Enrico Battaglin whose condition was uncertain as he had just come back for injury. Hence, the team planned to both play an active role in the early breakaway and be there right at the end of the race.

Nicola Boem made sure that the team was represented in the day's big move as he repeated his performance from Milan-Sanremo where he also animated the racing. In fact, it was his strong attacks on the Gulpenerberg and the Kruisberg that whittled the 10-rider group down to just 3.

Unfortuntately, Boem was unable to keep up with Christophe Riblon and Preben Van Hecke on the brutally steep Keutenberg and so the focus changed to the battle for a top result. As Colbrelli and Battaglin had both been dropped, it was now left to Enrico Barbin and Angelo Pagani to come away with the goods.

The duo stayed in the peloton all the way to the bottom of the Cauberg inside the final 5km but the tough ascent was a bit too much for the young Italians. Barbin did best as he crossed the line in 32nd.

”From one point of view, I have some regret because I got dropped with 4-5km to go, losing the chance to sprint for the top-10," Barbin said. "On the other hand, I can see positive things as this was my first experience here and I can see that the distance to the best classic riders is not big. We have to work to grow and come back stronger next year."

”After the Sanremo breakaway, I repeated a similar action today but with more power," Boem said. "In the breakaway we set a good tempo from the start and then I raised the pace to get away with a smaller group. Unfortunately after 200km in the break I didn’t have enough energy and on Keutenberg I got dropped. Anyway, I’m happy with today performance, especially with my attitude."

”We knew that to achieve for example a top 10 result, between really strong riders, would be really hard and for this reason we planned a different way to shine," sports director Roberto Reverberi said. "Boem did a really great race with about 200km in front. Both he and all the team were at this race for the first time and we have to be very happy with how he rode.

"I’m also satisfied with what Barbin's performance as he stayed in the leading group until the final passage of the Cauberg. To take part in this kind of race is really important for our young riders and their growth."