The flat finale of the Coppa Bernocchi is usually the scene of a battle between the best sprinters but today the epilogue was different. The victory was not decided at the end of a bunch sprint but was obtained by Nibali who beat 6 breakaway companions which had attacked 30km from the finish.
The peloton (43 riders) reached the finish after 21" and the sprint was almost won by Niccolo Bonifazio, who finished the 8th place.
Lampre-Merida was protagonist during the race thanks to stagiaire Edward Ravasi (he has already signed an agreement with the team to turn pro in the next seasons, the exact moment still to be decided), who joined a 23-rider breakaway a few kilometers after the start and who remained in front of the race also when the group of attackers was reduced to 4 members.
The action was neutralized with 30 km left, just before the start of the winning counter-attack.
"Today we could again appreciate very good performances by Bonifazio and Ravasi,” sports director Daniele Righi explained. “In our program for the race, we could also have the alternative of Modolo for the sprint, but Sacha suffered from cramps in the final part so Bonifazio became our main leader.
“Niccolò has regrets of having managed his energies too much: he was so brilliant that he could have joined the winning action by Nibali and company, but he preferred not to overload his legs and to wait for the sprint which seemed to the most probable scenario in that moment."
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