Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) made amends for his disappointing performance in the sprint on stage 3 of the Tour de San Luis when he beat no less of a figure than Peter Sagan (Cannondale) to win the uphill sprint on the final stage of the Tour de San Luis. Being happy to have taken his first win for his new team, the Italian had started the stage with the intention of getting his revenge for his poor performance on Wednesday.

Until yesterday, the Tour de San Luis had been a race with mixed emotions for Sacha Modolo. In his first race with Lampre-Merida, the Italian had missed out on a stage win on the opening day when he had convincingly won the bunch sprint, albeit only for 8th as the peloton had failed to reel in the early escapees.

However, the sprint win had given him a boost of confidence and when the sprinters again got their chance in the uphill sprint on stage 3, it was Filippo Pozzato and Maximilano Richeze who took control for Lampre-Merida in the finale, delivering their new teammate perfectly to the line.

Unfortunately, Modolo was unable to repeat his performance from the opening stage and as his legs ran out of power, he faded back to cross the line in 30th position. This left only one opportunity for a stage win in his first race of the season: yesterday's final stage which again finished with an uphill sprint.

Last year Modolo beat Mark Cavendish to win on the exact same finishing straight and he was intent on making up for Wednesday's disappointment. However, he faced fierce competition as Peter Sagan had gradually got his legs up to speed and was now ready to contest the stage win in a finish that suited him perfectly.

Lampre-Merida again put complete faith in Modolo and in the final kilometres it was Pozzato and Richeze who battled hard with Cannondale to control. Richeze came out triumphant when he hit the front inside the final few hundred metres with Modolo on his wheel, leaving no chance for Sagan to come around the Lampre sprinter when he finally put down the hammer. Such was the dominance of Lampre-Merida that Richeze even held onto 3rd place on the stage.

Afterwards, Modolo was pleased to again have won the stage that gave him a lot of joy 12 months ago and to have made amends for Wednesday's disappointment.

"After the third stage where I was not able to perform as I wanted in the sprint, I said that I wanted to bounce back quickly," he said. "Today I managed to redeem myself, relying on magnificent work of the whole team.

"Obviously this stage is one of my friends. I am very happy to beat Sagan which is never easy, but most of all I am happy that I have broken the ice in a very important season for me, the first with Lampre-Merida. Of course I hope that this is just the beginning of a year of satisfaction."

Modolo benefited from his knowledge from the 2013 edition of the race.

"Our strategy was the best because they (Cannondale) went very long in the final sprint and we waited near the front," he said. "I knew if I could start my sprint on the last little climb I could win.

"It's different than last year," he added. "Last year it (final kilometres) was slower, this year it was very fast. Last year I had to come from behind, this year I started sprinting from the front and it was completely different."

Sports director Orlando Maini praised the good teamwork.

"A big applause to Modolo who did a fantastic sprint," he said. "It was not easy to come back after the last sprint which didn't go as we wanted. However, Sacha showed that he is very determined and has repaid the faith that the team and the sponsors have placed in him by getting his first win in the new jersey after just seven races."

Prior to the race, many would have expected Lampre to support Richeze in the sprints as the Argentinean was riding on home soil. However, he sacrificed his chances for his new teammate which earned praise from Maini.

"If Modolo did well, his teammates have performed wonderfully by making themselves available and riding a fantastic stage," he said. "Richeze who is one of the idols here in Argentina, sacrificed his own ambitions to help a mate win the stage."

The win ends the race for Lampre-Merida who have had mixed emotions. Due to punctures Jose Serpa and Damiano Cunego fell out of podium contention on the opening mountain stage but Winner Anacona showed great improvement after having had to battle with illness and injury for most of the 2013 season. Serpa bounced back with a good ride on the final mountain stage where he launched an attack and ended 5th.

"This victory improves the balance of our trip to South America," Maini said. Modolo won, Richeze has shown that he is a perfect rider for many situations. Pozzato and Cunego have done the work they had planned and have improved their condition. Serpa was close to a stage win while Anacona has obtained important information regarding his competitiveness."

Anacona was the team's best rider on GC in 15th.