In the Gran Piemonte starting from Rocca Walls he mocked Giacomo Nizzolo in a sprint. High-level podium at the Milan-Turin, won by Roglic
IVREA
Sun and enthusiasm welcomed Milan-Turin and Gran Piemonte, the two classics organized by RCS Sport on Wednesday and yesterday, which saw the riders covering over 80 km of Canavese roads. On Wednesday, (in Milan-Turin) at the brow of the Serra, in Piverone, the six fugitives of the day showed up: Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM), Oier Lazkano (Caja Rural-Seguros), Juri Zanotti (Bardiani-CSF- Faizanè), Joan Bou (Euskaltel – Euskadi), Mattia Frapporti (Eolo-Kometa) and Davide Orrico (Vini Zabù). A courageous escape, then wrecked when the strongest teams decided to get their captains in the lead seriously. The order of arrival was more than noble: victory for Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma), ahead of Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and João Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step). Lots of people on the street, like yesterday, in the Gran Piemonte.
The track was intended for fast wheels and the sprinters did not betray the expectations: at the Borgosesia finish line Mattew Walls (Bora-Hansgrohe) won (surprisingly) in front of the former Italian champion Giacomo Nizzolo (Team Qhubeka NextHash), who in the tricolor jersey he had won the 2016 Gran Piemonte, arriving in Agliè. Third step of the podium for the very young Dutchman Olav Kooij (Jumbo Visma), ahead of Matteo Trentin (UAE Emirates) who, like Nizzolo, was European champion: there were four Italian continental champions in the race: Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain – Victorious) , still weighed down by the fatigue of Roubaix, was in the leading positions, but only placed 19th while Elia Viviani (Cofidis), who had started from Rocca very ambitious, was held back by a slowdown at the last kilometer and did not was able to play the sprint, finishing 117th.
The Great Piedmont started from Rocca Canavese: the town was celebrating this absolute debut in great cycling: the most applauded was Sonny Colbrelli, in his first race after the triumph in Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, a success that projected him into the Olympus of cycling. «It is an emotion to be back in the group after Roubaix – said the Brescia player before the start -: I aim to do well, even if the tiredness will be felt». Even yesterday a handful of riders escaped from the group, between Cuorgnè and Castellamonte, also passing through Ivrea with one minute ahead of the group: protagonists of the breakaway Marc Soler (Movistar), Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Trek – Segafredo), Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Soudal) Manuele Boaro (Astana – Premier Tech) and Marco Frapporti (Vini Zabù). Applauding them in Ivrea, at the foot of the Camillo Olivetti fountain, was the mayor Stefano Sertoli, with the tricolor sash.
The attention of fans now shifts to the Lombardy of tomorrow, the last classic monument of the season, while we are already looking forward to the next season: by the end of the month the Giro d’Italia 2022 will be presented and there is – as always – the hope of seeing transit the Pink Caravan on our roads, which in recent years have often been the protagonists of important events. Piedmont is among the regions hoping to host a stage finish in Giro number 105. If hope becomes reality, surely Ivrea and Canavese will be involved: all that remains is to wait, confident. –
Federico Bona