For Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors), the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is one of the one-day WorldTour races suited to his characteristics. The majority of the Italian’s 50 professional wins have come in stage races but his Cyclassics Hamburg and Bretagne Classic triumphs of last year were evidence of his growing pedigree in one-day events, and his second place in the Australian race on Sunday provided further proof of his versatility.
Buoyed by his Tour Down Under stage win last week, Viviani had reconned the Geelong course and was targeting victory. With Dries Devenyns in form after his fifth place on GC at the stage race, Quick-Step Floors also had two cards to play but, in the sprint to the line, Viviani would prove to have the quicker legs of the duo.
Bora-Hansgrohe's Jay McCarthy, though, had the quickest kick of the lot, with Viviani's dive on the line still a wheel length short.
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"This is a race I really like to try to win. Sometimes when you see me lose me a bunch sprint it is for that. This is a race I really want to work for and to try and win. This one and San Remo," Viviani said of his early-season goals.
"There are not a lot of WorldTour Classics I can win and for sure to go close like that is really disappointing."
On the final lap of the course around Geelong, Viviani was distanced on the Challambra Crescent climb, victory looking likely for the front group that contained Devenyns and McCarthy among several others. However, with compatriot and teammate Eros Capecchi emptying the tank to catch the leaders, there was a regrouping inside the final kilometre.
'Too many second places'
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