Another Slovenian rider is enjoying the plaudits today, surprisingly the peloton by making a winning breakaway move. Halfway through the race, Koren bridged the gap from the peloton to a break of 13 riders. Koren bested Michael Reihs (Christina Watches) and Andrey Kashechkin (Lampre - ISD), the latter who had made a similar move as Koren.
Colnago - CSF Inox suffered on the day. Simone Stortoni was the highest placed finisher, 53rd overall. The entire team suffered greatly in the waning moments of the race as the pace was lifted.
The original breakaway left in the early kilometers. The riders worked well together to build a lead of over 4' when Koren made his decisive move.
A Colnago rider in the break; the only thing notable from the team today.
With a Liquigas team featuring Vincenzo Nibali and Eros Capecchi, no one seemed to think Koren represented any danger. Kashechkin and Nicki Sørensen (Saxo Bank) made a similar move, nearly 10km later. Eventually, all 3 riders connected with the break.
Still 90km from the line, Koren begins to chase the break.
The break was approaching the last hill of the day with a lead a shade under 2 minutes. Knowing victory was not guaranteed, Koren and Kashechkin raised their pace. Only Reihs could stay with them.
Koren in poor position, leading into the line.
Vladimir Karpets (Katusha) was the only rider from the peloton to launch a serious attack. However it was too late. Karpets was the best placed rider to not partake in the break. He finished in 10th, 1'12 down.
In the sprint to decide the day, Koren was the strongest. While Reihs pushed him in the final meters, the Liquigas rider was able to celebrate victory.
Bad position or not, Koren was the strongest on the day.
A Liquigas win was not surprising, however most would not have tipped Koren over the hilly parcours. A time trial specialist, this win will help his building palmares.
@ gilles23: Thanks. Pozzovivo has been great and was a major reason I picked Colnago.
GP di Lugano
Masciarelli defeats "The Chicken"; Colnago anonymous again
Astana's Francesco Masciarelli out-sprinted Michael Rasmussen (Christina Watches), winning from a breakaway, the second time in as many days in Switzerland a break was successful.
Colnago were putrid. Manuele Caddeo finished in 67th, 11'37 down on the winner. He was the best Colnago rider. Alberto Contoli, Andrea Pasqualon, and Andrea Piechele all withdrew.
Masciarelli and Rasmussen were part of a 5 man group that got away around 40km into the day. Joining them were Blel Kadri (AG2R), Fortunato Baliani (D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo), and Andrey Solomennikov (Itera - Katusha).
Some cheered, some jeered. Nevertheless, The Chicken was back on the offensive.
For most of the day, the weather was dreadful. The conditions did not seem to irritate Rasmussen. The controversial Dane looked at home, raiding over climbs once again.
Katusha and Liquigas worked in conjunction to police the break. Near the top of the last major climb of the day, they had almost caught the escapees.
The break was this close to being caught.
However, just as the riders were in sight, the peloton eased off the pedal. The breaks advantage started to go back out.
The rolling run-in and bad weather favored the break, as the tired legs back in the peloton were not able to organize.
Over the last small rise, Solomennikov had been dropped. On the descent, Rasmussen accelerated. Just as he did so, Kadri fell in the terrible conditions.
Kadri falls on the descent into the line.
Baliani was caught behind the downed Frenchman, and expended tons of energy to try to get back with Masciarelli and Rasmussen.
Rasmussen did not have the burst to fully distance the young Italian, who had reacted well and was in his wheel.
The leading riders pass some Colnago riders going the opposite way...
Under the flamme rouge they went, Baliani desperately fighting. Rasmussen was strong in the final kilometer, but Masciarelli timed his sprint to perfection, moving out of Rasmussen's slipstream with 100m left. Rasmussen settled for 2nd. Rubens Bertogliati (Team Type 1) led the peloton in 1'12 later.
Masciarelli takes the win.
While he did not win, it was a pleasant sight to see Rasmussen racing and attacking again.
If the GP dell'Insubria - Lugano was bad for Colnago, GP di Lugano was a disaster. Not much else to say about the race for the team.
Bertolini bests field; Colnago bounce back with 3 in top 10
Veteran Alessandro Bertolini added another win to his palmares, now stretching back to 1996. No breakaway would take the glory today, as much of the peloton remained on Sardinia following the Giro di Sardegna.
Colnago, who has recently suffered two straight terrible races, produced a much better performance, placing 3 riders in the top 10. Not surprisingly, Domenico Pozzovivo led the trio, finishing 4th. Federico Canuti took 8th, while Marco Frapporti followed in 9th. In fact, Stefano Pirazzi was the worst placed rider, finishing in 20th. A much better sign going forward.
Filippo Savini instigated a small breakaway. Only Marcello Pavarin (Vacansoleil) and Volodymyr Kogut (Amore & Vita) joined in the escape.
Savini leads the break.
None of the three riders possessed the quality to make the move stick. They were arrested on the final climb when the favorites started their attacks. Still, they hung out long enough to greatly improve their standings, finishing shortly behind the main contenders. Pavarin and Savini finished in 11th and 13th respectively.
Simon Spilak (Lampre - ISD) made the first move on the last hill.
Spilak started the attacking just before the final climb.
His move forced a selection. A group of 9 formed. It was made up of Spilak, Bertolini, Pozzovivo, Frapporti, Canuti, Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil), Alessandro Prono (Acqua & Sapone), Kevin Seeldraeyers (Quick·Step), and Mauro Finetto (Liquigas).
A small group broke clear of the field.
The group climbed together, with no rider daring to make an attack.
Finally, at the flamme rouge, Bertolini went on the left.
Bertolini accelerates.
Finetto was the closest to him, but was never able to get over to get into his wheel.
All the riders were clearly suffering up the final slopes, but Bertolini was able to power away and take the win, 12 seconds ahead of Finetto. Pozzovivo, while he once again lacked decisive explosion in the hills, overtook Seeldraeyers in the final meters to take 4th, just missing the podium.
Bertolini salutes the crowd.
After two disappointing results, Colnago performed as well as possible without winning.
Undoubtedly in his last season, it was nice to see Bertolini take a win.
A week after being denied entry to Tirreno - Adriatico, the team received bad news from organizers, RCS Sport. The team's sponsors had not only been expecting entry, but good results. Exclusion from two of the bigger races in Italy calls into question the teams hopes for entry into the Giro d'Italia in May. The team is one 9 to submit an application and should hear towards the end of March about its status.
@ all: Thanks. I was obviously disappointed to not accepted into T-A or MSR, but hopefully will have better luck for the Giro.
Giro del Friuli
Colnago sponsors are expecting top 10 result here. Knowing future expectations at Tirreno - Adriatico and Milano - San Remo will be impossible to accomplish, a good result will be imperative. The burden falls on the shoulders of Marco Frapporti.
A group of riders formed a breakaway in the early kilometers. They were likely hoping to gain an advantage before the 6 hills that awaited the riders in the second half of the race. Notably, Egor Silin (Katusha) and Andrey Kashechkin (Lampre - ISD) made the move.
The breakaway.
After the formation of the break, the day remained calm until the climbs approached.
At this point, both the break and peloton upped the pace. In the breakaway, Silin and Kashechkin rode away from their slower companions.
Kashechkin and Silin at the head of the race.
Behind the break, the peloton was being lead by Liquigas and Astana. As they chased the leaders, only Frapporti could keep up with the pace.
Liquigas and Astana controlled the pace of the main field.
As the road was running out, Kashechkin dropped Silin. The young Russian is an excellent young rider, but does not have the strength or stamina yet required to make such a move. Silin ended up finishing the day in 42nd.
Kashechkin pushed on ahead. The peloton was beginning to realize the danger the Kazakh rider possessed. As the pace upped, a 13 rider, Astana led group formed. Frapporti was still present and in good shape for Colnago.
Astana leads a group, chasing down a Kazakh rider.
On the final climb, Kashechkin had still not been arrested. For some riders, this was not suitable. Michael Rasmussen (Christina Watches) attacked at the foot of the climb. He followed by Frapporti.
Rasmussen makes a bid to reach Kashechkin.
Following those two were Sébastien Joly (Saur - Sojasun), Vladimir Karpets (Katusha), and Rubens Bertogliati (Team Type 1). Frapporti, along with these 3 rider were able to distance Rasmussen on the final climb, but Kashechkin was still alone up ahead.
Kashechkin only had to descend to the line.
As the four chasers desperately chased, Kashechkin could smell victory. He successfully navigated the descent. If he could hold off the chasers for 2km, the win was his.
In the closing kilometer, the chasers aggressively rode, hoping to pull Kashechkin back.
Joly, Bertogliati, Frapporti, and Karpets in the run-in to the line.
The four raced hard, but could not reach Kashechkin. The veteran Kazakh crossed the line alone in triumph.
Frapporti finished in 4th, in his group with Joly, Bertogliati, and Karpets. Colnago's sponsors would be pleased with his result.
Mauro Finetto led the next group of riders in, 1'47 behind Kashechkin.
@ valverde321: Yeah, the main contenders didn't bother to attack which was kind of odd. With a descent into the line, it wasn't hard to hold them off. Had they attacked, I doubt Frapporti could've kept up.
@ baia, FreitasPCM, and Pellizotti2: Thanks. Hopefully I will have some wins to report on soon!
Strade Bianche
Strade Bianche. In only its 5th edition, the race is quickly growing in profile. 70km of the 190km in the race will see the riders tackle the sterrati, or gravel roads, around Siena. Many of the same roads were featured in the 2010 Giro d'Italia where Cadel Evans took a dramatic win in one of the most memorable GT stages in recent history.
Colnago sponsors are looking for a win by the team here. With the team not earning a place in Tirreno - Adriatico or Milano - San Remo, the race schedules of riders like Domenico Pozzovivo and Marco Frapporti have been altered. Filippo Savini and Sacha Modolo will be looked at to try and get the result. It will be very difficult.
In order to maximize their chances, Colnago sent two riders into the breakaway. Savini and Gianluca Brambilla. The plan was to have Brambilla work, while Savini rests. Once Brambilla was empty, Savini would attack. Back in the peloton, Modolo would be protected by the rest of the team and hope to make it to the end in the front group if the break failed. It would be a very tough task for both riders.
Brambilla drives the peloton on.
In the peloton, Liquigas took control of the pace making. They allowed the break to get some room, but made sure it did not spiral out of control. The race features a rolling parcours, and a break could easily hold off the peloton given enough freedom.
Liquigas at the head of the peloton.
Jérôme Pineau (Quick·Step) jumped from the peloton around halfway through the race. The punchy Frenchman slowly began to bridge the gap.
Up ahead, Brambilla, Savini, and the rest of the break were working hard to extend their advantage.
The breakaway descends quickly on an absolutely pristine day.
Brambilla had done an immense load of work and was beginning to tire. With the dangerous Pineau closing, Savini decided it was time to make his move. He was relatively fresh thanks to Brambilla.
Savini off on his own.
When Savini attacked, there was still a considerable distance to the line, 60km. His lead was 4 minutes over the peloton.
As Brambilla dropped off, Pineau reached the breakaway. He immediately went to the front and organized a chase of Savini. They were 40 seconds behind Savini.
Pineau hot in pursuit of Savini.
Savini worked very hard. He was able to pull out more time on his chasers. Soon, his lead was hovering around 1'30. At this point, Pineau upped his pace, dropping all of the other riders hanging on. Savini's lead stabilized around 1'20.
As Pineau and Savini battled it out, the peloton was beginning to disintegrate. Astana had joined Liquigas and the pace had risen. Modolo was present, but alone.
The main field rides through a small village.
The peloton was riding very quickly, as Savini was still ahead by 3'30 with 20km left to go. The pace was too hot for Modolo, who was be dropped. All of Colnago's hopes now rested on Savini resisting the field.
A small chasing group formed in the closing kilometers.
Slowly, Pineau began to gain on Savini. The Italian had been at the head of the race for much of the day, and was clearly laboring. Seconds ticked off his lead as the kilometers passed. Finally, with 7km left, Pineau caught up.
Pineau catches Savini on the roads into Siena.
Savini was exhausted. He was dropped by Pineau on the very next climb. Now, he could only hope to ride well enough to claim second.
Behind, Enrio Gasparotto (Astana) countered a Danilo Di Luca attack. No other rider attempted to go with him.
No one could follow Gasparotto's attack.
The chasing group rode hard, trying to respond to Gasparotto's attack.
Savini was passed first by Gasparotto, then the chasing group. He finished in 14th. A great try.
Gasparotto kept charging as he got to Pineau's wheel at the foot of the final climb in the last kilometer. Right behind was the chasing group.
The situation at the flamme rouge.
Pineau was empty after such an extended effort. He could not match Gasparotto's acceleration when the Italian opened up. Di Luca and Davide Rebellin (Miche - Guerciotti) both closed quickly, but were too far to catch the Astana man. Gasparotto took the win, 20 seconds ahead of the pair.
@ jt1109, baia, tsmoha: Thanks. I think a win will be coming up very shortly...Also, some very good news is coming.
Settimana Coppi e Bartali
After a short lay-off, the Colnago - CSF Inox team gets back to racing. Honoring Italian legends Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali, the race takes place in Emilia-Romagna, the team's backyard. The race is six stages long, with two time trials, one individual, and one a team competition.
The first stage started as most expected, with lesser riders establishing a breakaway in the early kilometers. However, this move was brought back by the peloton at the halfway mark of the day. At this point, three riders set off in a new move. They were Stefano Pirazzi, Petr Bencík (PSK Whirlpool - Author), and Matej Gnezda (Adria Mobil).
Three riders set off in a move mid-way through the stage.
The peloton was very relaxed in attempting to control the move.
In the closing kilometers, it was clear they would stay away. Pirazzi, who is lacking in finishing speed, made an attempt to get clear. He was unable to drop his companions. His energy expenditure cost him and he found the tables turned; he was dropped just before the line.
Bencík took the win ahead of Gnezda. Pirazzi took third, 51 seconds down. The peloton came in 4'53 behind the winner.
Bencík wins the first day and assumes race leadership.
A short team-trial was next. Most of the teams present were lacking in this discipline. Katusha were the pre-race favorites, and didn't disappoint, winning the day by a margin of 20 seconds.
Katusha were fasted through the course.
Colnago looked ragged as they rode through the course. They finished in 19th out of the 20 teams.
Colnago struggled during the time trial.
After the excitement of the first stage, any breakaway attempt was closely controlled by the field on the third stage. Numerous riders tried, but all were pulled back fairly quickly. In the sprint finish Oscar Gatto (Farnese Vini) out-kicked Danilo Hondo (Lamre) at the line to take the win. Manuel Belletti was the best placed Colnago rider, finsihing in 10th.
Gatto takes the win on a rather boring day.
The fourth stage was the queen stage. After rolling terrain, including a large climb in the middle of the stage, four ascents around Gaggio Montano. This short, steep climb will certainly cause separation.
Federico Canuti joined the breakaway, but in more in the role of policing. The team wanted to set the stage up for Domenico Pozzovivo.
The peloton was about to arrest the break at the beginning of the Gaggio Montano climb, on its second ascension. At this moment, Pozzovivo attacked.
Pozzovivo launches an attack.
Pozzovivo's attack immediately splintered the peloton. Only a handful of riders could react and match the pace. Amongst them were Alexander Efimkin (Team Type 1), Michael Rasmussen (Chistina Watches), and Andrey Kashechkin (Lampre).
Behind this action, Pirazzi found himself in the same group with Bencík. They rode in together.
Pozzovivo was not content with the company. On the penultimate ascent, he attacked again.
Pozzovivo attacks again.
This time, no rider could follow his acceleration. The riders who initially went with him greatly suffered. Riders from behind such as Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil) and Kevin De Weert (Quick·Step) soon passed these riders. The riders who originally went with Pozzovivo came in with the main chasing group.
Up ahead, Pozzovivo continued building on his advantage. Slowly at first, but when he found a rhythm, it ballooned to over a minute. He continued making a good pace, all the way to the line, taking the stage victory, 1'15 ahead of Carrara.
Pozzovivo celebrates his stylish win.
First a team time trial, the fifth stage was a short individual time trial. The distance was not long enough to create massive time differences. Pozzovivo performed poorly, even given his ability in the discipline, finishing in 117th.
Stefan Schumacher (Miche - Guerciotti) came in 3rd.
Kashechkin made up for yesterday, by taking the win, 3 seconds ahead of Marc De Maar (Quick·Step).
Carrara improved to 5th overall behind his 10th place finish.
The final stage was moderately hilly, with the last climb peaking 5km from the line. Pozzovivo found himself in 6th, 2'39 down on Bencík. Pirazzi was in 3rd, 1'04 down. An overall win was likely out of reach for Pozzovivo, so the team would try to work hard for Pirazzi.
Colnago worked hard at the front, hoping to make the race hard.
The high pace set by Colnago put many riders into trouble. Unfortunately, Pirazzi also suffered. With the final climb approaching, Bencík was still in the front group. Pirazzi did not have the energy to make a move. The focus switched to Pozzovivo and a possible stage win.
At the foot of the final climb, Pozzovivo attacked.
Pozzovivo attacks in the closing kilometers.
Efimkin was the only rider who attempted to go with the Italian climber. However, the Russian could not quite get onto his wheel.
Efimkin desperately tries to reach Pozzovivo.
Efimkin failed at staying with Pozzovivo and was reeled back in by the chasing peloton.
Pozzovivo crested the climb with a solid advantage. All that lay in between another stage win was a tricky descent into Sassuolo.
Behind him, Tiziano Dall'Antonia (Liquigas) led the main field down the other side.
The situation on the descent.
Pozzovivo pushed, but the peloton was descending quicker. On the flat run-in, they closed fast as Pozzovivo ran out of energy. In the final kilometer, Pozzovivo could not hold off the charge. Jure Kocjan (Team Type 1) took the win, with Pozzovivo finishing in 14th.
Bencík was able to stay with the main group, securing his overall victory. Pirazzi, who finished 40" back, moved up to 2nd overall. Pozzovivo, 5th.
Kocjan snares the final stage, after it looked like Pozzovivo would capture his second stage.
and good ride in friuli KUTGW
