Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) won the Tre Valli Varesine race with a solo attack on the final climb, just 24 hours after arriving in Europe from the World Championships in Richmond, USA.
The Astana team - especially Fabio Aru - worked for Nibali on the final 12km lap around Varese and then the Italian national champion jumped away from a select group of riders with a double attack on the final climb. He quickly opened a gap on the chasers, who then hesitated slightly, afraid to set up their rivals if they led the chase.
Nibali celebrated with his arms in the air, finishing nine seconds ahead of Sergey Firsanov (RusVelo) who jumped away in sight of the finish to take second place. Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) won the sprint for third ahead of Simone Ponzi (Southeast).
Nibali’s success makes him a logical favourite for Sunday’s Il Lombardia race, the final race of this year’s WorldTour.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The guys did a great job today, especially Fabio Aru, without them I wouldn’t have won,” Nibali said, revealing he arrived in Italy at lunchtime on Tuesday. “I was tired after the flight and because of the jet lag. I started and even thought of climbing off but I felt good and things worked out. I have to thank my teammates for this win.
“The only tactic I could use was to ensure the race didn’t end in a sprint. I managed to pull it off. I now want to do well at Lombardia and hope to recover quickly for Sunday.”
Thanks to his victory Nibali also secured victory in the three-race Trittico Lombardia. He won the Coppa Bernocchi race and was second in the Coppa Agostoni race and so took home a special diamond prize awarded by the race organisers.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://ift.tt/1LQ5BCf
No comments:
Post a Comment