The Coppa Bernocchi is known as a race for sprinters but the 2014 edition turned out to be unusually hard. This allowed Portuguese climber Tiago Machado to finish in the top 10.

The Italian classics series Trittico Lombardo kicked off today with the Coppa Bernocchi. Whereas in the past a mass sprint has always decided the winner, today a large group of favorites was able to hold on their lead to cross the finish line just a few seconds ahead of the field. After 190 kilometers, Elia Viviani (Cannondale) sprinted to victory ahead of his fellow countrymen Filippo Pozzato (Lampre Merida) and Simone Ponzi (Neri Sottoli). Tiago Machado of Team NetApp-Endura pulled off an eighth place finish as part of the elite group.

“Today we really got a feel for just how important this race is in Italy. On the final stretch the best Italian cyclists tried everything they could to pull away so that the race would not be decided in a mass sprint. Since we were starting without any of our designated sprinters, we were really expecting to have a rather quiet day. But Tiago recognized his opportunity to ride with the world’s best cyclists on the final stretch. Eighth place is a fantastic result for him. Tiago impressively proved that he is in excellent condition. Tomorrow we will try to make an impact on the race so that we can build on today’s result,” Christian Pömer concluded after the Italian fall classic.

The second race of the series, the Coppa Agostoni, will be held tomorrow. The challenging 199-km route starts and finishes in Lissone in Lombardy and will particularly play to the strengths of climbers with four climbs within 30 kilometers in the second half of the race.