Under heavy rainm Manuel Bongiorno took a superb 3rd place in Stage 2 of Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali  that ended with the demanding finale in Sogliano al Rubicone after 156.2km and five passages of Ville di Monte Tiffi. Bongiorno confirmed his good feeling for this stage as he was second 12 months ago.

After the start in Cesenatico, a breakaway of 7 riders pulled away and Bardiani had Andrea Piechele in the group. The peloton stayed close and didn’t allow the escapees more than 2:30.

When the race arrived at the finishing circuit, all the escapees were caught. At the bottom of Ville di Monte Tiffi, the leading group was composed of about 30 riders. Here Bardiani took the control with Sonny Colbrelli and then Edoardo Zardini that upped the pace, cteaing a big selection. It was perfect for Bongiorno’s attack that happened in the steepest section and he was only followed by Swift (SKY) and Kvasina (FelberMayr).

The trio gained a big advantage and at the top, the first chasers with Zardini had lost 20 seconds. After a fast descent the race was decided in the last 600 meters, uphill and on the cobbles. Here Ben Swift showed that he is not only a sprinter and with a perfect solo attack he took the stage win. Behind him, Kvasina and Manuel Bongiorno took 2nd and 3rd respetively.

”I’m satisfied with today's result," Bongiorno said. "With the entire team, we wanted to send a strong signal of growth. The rain and cold didn’t help me, in fact I couldn't feel my hands on the final climb and it was really hard to hold the handlebar. Swift was the strongest today, he showed it but I’m confident that the battle for the overall victory is not over. On Sunday we have another demanding stage, with climbs harder than today."

”Manuel did a really strong performance," sports director Mirko Rossato said. "It is an effort that gives him a lot of morale, but at the same time the whole team rode well today, especially in the last laps that were made really demanding by the rain. Bongiorno showed that he is one of the strongest on the climbs. We were suprised by the outstanding performance by Swift whom we didn’t think could be so strong on the climbs. Congrats to him, he deserved the victory.

"Now we look to tomorrow stage that is perfect for a bunch sprint, while the climbers will back on the front on Sunday and we expect a new great day with our duo Bongiorno – Zardini."