Bartosz Hutarski keeps the lead in Team NetApp hands as final climb splits the pack
Diego Ulissi (Lampre-ISD) took his second straight stage victory on the Settimana Coppi e Bartali, outsprinting a select group at the tough finish in Pavuillo nel Frignano. The 22-year-old Tuscan narrowly beat Danilo Di Luca (Acqua & Sapone) in the lunge for the line, after having torn a group of six riders free on the final climb with just 9km to go.
In third place was Bartosz Huzarski (Team NetApp) who started the day in second place overall, but moved into the race lead after teammate Cesare Benedetti lost more than four minutes.
"Today I was convinced that I could do well, and thanks to the contribution of my superlative teammates I managed to arrive at the final climb with ease,” explained Ulissi. “The climb was difficult especially in the last five or six kilometres; I've had to use 39x25, at the appropriate time I tried to make a difference and I did.
“At first, no opponent managed to stay with me during my acceleration, then a group of 5 riders joined me and we came the to last kilometre together,” he explained. “[Josè] Rujano tried to surprise us but Huzarski reacted, personally taking us back to the Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela rider; at about 500 metres from the finish I launched my sprint and resisted the come back of Di Luca. Tomorrow we expect the final time trial, in which i will try to do my best and to ride a good test.”
After a few early attempts, a five-man group got away 16km into the 159km stage, consisting of: Yevgeny Nepomnyachsi (Astana), Dalivier Ospina (Colombia-Coldeportes) Filippo Baggio (Utensilnord-Named), Philip Deignan (Unitedhealthcare) and Ruslan Karimov (Team Idea). After 74km the quintet’s lead reached its maximum of five minutes, as the race approached the foot of the main climb of the day.
As they took on the climb the group began to split up, with Baggio, and then Nepomnyachsi being dropped. As Deignan led over the top, after 85km, the Acqua & Sapone-led peloton was 3’23” back; Benedetti had already been dropped however, with his grip on the lead slipping.
With the Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela team taking over the chase, the gap to the leaders began to fall rapidly, and they were eventually reeled in after 111km, with 48km still to race. Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela kept the pace high, preventing any meaningful attacks; Giuseppe De Maria (Team Idea) managed to get a few seconds clear but was pulled back long before the final climb began.
As the climb began Damiano Caruso (Liquigas-Cannondale) tried to attack and, as he was pulled back, Ulissi launched his own move. He managed to force a gap, but was soon joined by Di Luca, Josè Serpa (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox); Rujano and Huzarski fought their way across soon afterwards.
Rujano tried a late attack, but he was pulled back and Ulissi was the strongest of the six in the sprint.