Michele Scarponi gave the Astana team its first road race victory of the 2017 season with a finely timed effort at the end of stage 1 of the Tour of the Alps, the victory finally breaking a lengthy dry spell on his palmares.
The 37-year-old Italian had not won a race since the 2013 GP Costa degli Etruschi. Before that, his previous wins included the overall Giro del Trentino – as the Tour of the Alps was known until this year – but even then he did not win a stage. The record books show Scarponi also won the 2011 Giro d'Italia, but that was awarded to him later after Alberto Contador was disqualified for doping. For an actual hands-in-the-air stage win, you'd have to count back to March 12, 2011 when the Italian won stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico.
Scarponi served a three-month ban for working with Dr Michele Ferrari in the winter of 2012 and had since accepted the role of loyal mountain domestique to Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru. With Aru now out of action due to his crash and knee injury, Scarponi has been dragged back into the spotlight and given a leadership role. He quickly showed he still has what it takes.
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Scarponi hit out with 300m to go and pushed a huge gear on the uphill finish at to Hungerburg, holding off Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ).
With Scarponi set to replace Aru as Astana team leader for the Giro d'Italia, the victory was a special moment for everyone at Astana, including directeur sportif Stefano Zanini, who watched the race from the finish line and raised his arms in celebration just like Scarponi.
"A few years after winning the Giro del Trentino, I've finally managed to lift my arms up and naturally I'm happy about it," Scarponi said later in the stage winner's press conference.
Scarponi has his boots ready for eventual snow
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