January
Nothing
February
	G.P. Costa degli Etruschi	1.1
	Trofeo Laigueglia	1.HC
March
	Trofej Umag – Umag Trophy	1.2
	Strade Bianche	1.HC
	Roma Maxima	1.1
	Istarsko proljece - Istrian Spring Trophy	2.2
	GP Nobili Rubinetterie - Coppa Papa Carlo-Coppa Cittá di Stresa	1.HC
	Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali	2.1
April
	Circuit des Ardennes International	2.2
	Giro del Trentino	2.HC
	Giro dell’ Appennino	1.1
May
	Skive-Løbet	1.2
	Himmerland Rundt	1.2
	Szlakiem Grodòw Piastowskich	2.2
	Berner Rundfahrt	1.2
	An Post Ras	2.2
June
	Int. Raiffeisen Grand Prix Judendorf	1.2
	Oberösterreichrundfahrt	2.2
	Italy National Championships	NC
July
	Course Cycliste de Solidarnosc	2.2
	GP Matteotti	1.1
	Tour Alsace	2.2
August
	GP Kranj	1.2
	Trofeo Internazionale Bastianelli	1.2
	GP Kralovehradeckeho Kraje	1.2
	Ljublana – Zagreb	1.2
September
	Coppa Agostini	1.1
	Coppa Bernocchi	1.1
	Memorial Marco Pantani	1.1
	GP Industria & Commercio di Prato	1.1
	Tre Valli Varesine	1.HC
October
	Milano – Torino	1.HC
	Giro del Piemonte	1.HC
	Gran Premio Città di Peccioli - Coppa Sabatini	1.1
	Giro dell’Emilia	1.HC
	Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli	1.HC
	Giro della Romagna	1.2

Top 10 Roma Maxima

Win KOTM Jersey Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Top 10 Giro dell’ Appennino

Top 10 Coppa Agostoni
Top 10 Coppa Bernocchi

Top 10 GP Matteotti
Top 10 GP Industria & Commercio di Prato

Top 10 Memorial Marco Pantani
Top 10 Gran Premio Città di Peccioli - Coppa Sabatini

Top 10 G.P. Costa degli Etruschi
Top 5 Giro della Romagna

Stage win’s Tour of China II
Top 5 Trofeo Internazionale Bastianelli

Top 10 GP Kranj
Stage win’s An Post Ras

When we got to the start line, the team was nervous. We knew this was our first race, and we were feeling it. I radio'ed the guys telling them to focus on our goals: get Cristian the best result possible today. In the pre race meeting, we design our strategy: we would place one rider in the breakaway, and in the final kilometres of the race, we would place Cristian the best possible, and then he would hang into a trains wheel.


A very nervous start to the race in the town of San Vincenzo

At the start, there were multiple attacks, as lots of teams looked to place their riders on the breakaway. Astana and Orica took control of the first attacks, and only about 20km's into the race a breakaway formed. And our strategy paid off, as Edoardo Costanzi was in the break of the race, together with Matthew Busche from Trek Factory Racing and Alexandr Dyachenko from Astana Pro Team. Together, they built a gap of over 4 minutes to the pack, which was the maximum they would get.


The breakaway running through some beautifull landscapes

Orica-GreenEDGE and Katusha we're very interested in getting the break back as soon as possible, and started upping the tempo in the peloton with about 100km's to go. The gap started to decrease, and at 50km's to go, it was more than assured that the breakaway was condemn. It was now a matter of when and where they would be. Then the breakaway started to get desorganised. Matthew Busche attacked, but Costanzi and Dyanchenko brought him back. 2 or 3km's after, Dyanchenko attacked, and Costanzi and Busche we're struggling to close the gap down. So, Busche accelerated and dropped Costanzi, and that was his day done in the breakaway.


Katusha and Orica controlled the pace throughout the race


The break got disorganised when Busche attacked


Busche dropped Costanzi while trying to catch Dyachenko

Meanwhile, in the peloton, I was surprised by something. Suddenly, in the TV screens of the car, a Bardiani rider appeared attacking. And I was surprised to see that it was Sonny Colbrelli that attacked. It was a heart-lighted attack though, and all it did was bringing Costanzi back to the pack. Colbrelli was caught, and he had wasted energy with this.


The most pointless attack of the day award went to Colbrelli

A few kilometres later, the pack was less than a minute behind the leaders, and Dyachenko decided that he had enough, and he attacked, finally dropping Matthew Busche, who was then caught by the peloton. At this point in time, we're into the final 20km's, and we decided that we would start bringing Cristian forward in the pack to get ready for what would be an hectic final 10km's.


Dyachenko dropping Busche

Then, while Dyachenko was still in front, Turgot attacked. Saramotins tried to counter him, but couldn't get to his wheel. Turgot caught and passed Dyachenko right under the 10km's to go sign, and then mayhem began. Movistar and Katusha suddenly came to the front and started a hectic pace to try and catch Sebastién.


Turgot making his decisive move


Turgot passing Alexandr on his way to victory, while Movistar chased hard

Entering the town of Donoratico, where the race would finish, it was Lampre who forced the pace like wildman. They were trying everything to catch Turgot, but it was not working. What would happen next though ruined Cristian chances of grabbing a top result. One of the Lampre riders, the second one, suddenly slow down, and Cristian went right into the path of him, beeing forced to swerve right. He lost speed and momentum, and the chances of a good result we're gone.


Lampre's move which killed Cristian's chances

Into the final 3km's, to try and catch Turgot, Caleb Ewan launched his sprint, bringing Alexander Porsev in his wheel. They we're catching Turgot at a blistering pace, and when Porsev left Ewan's wheel, you could tell the australian was empty. Porsev still putted around 8 bike lengths onto the remaining of the peloton.


Ewan doing everything to try to catch Turgot with Porsev right on his wheel

But that wasn't enough to catch Turgot. The frenchman had won the first race of the Coppa Italia. Porsev finished 2nd, while a very surprising Marko Kump, with a great result for Adria Mobil, taking the final spot in the podium. For Cristian, it was disappointment. He told me after the race he had great legs, and he was sure he could've finished in the top 5 at least. Sadly for him, and for us, he only finished 12th place.


Porsev could only look on as Turgot celebrated

We we're in the startline for the Trofeo Laigueglia. In our pre-race meeting in the bus, we defined one goal: take Andrea to a top 10 finish today. We knew it would be hard, but even so, we must look big to become big.


The pack was ready to start riding in the hot italian sunshine

Funnilly enough, today not many riders wanted to got into the breakaway, and one was quickly established. Alberto Bettiol, from Cannondale - Garmin, Jens Mouris from Orica-GreenEDGE, Davide Vigàno from Team Idea and Ramon Carretero from Southeast. It was a fairly interesting breakaway, since no actual puncheurs were in it, must, bar Team Idea, all the teams in the breakaway had a favourite to win today, so they're definetelly saving themselves from working on the pack.


The BOTD running through the race, besides the sea

But even with a men in the BOTD, Cannondale we're still pacing the pack, together wtih Team Sky, going into the downhill after the first climb. The breakaway still had a very decent gap, but one that wouldn't allow them to even think of winning the race. Cannondale though, surelly have no belief in Bettiol ability to defeat his opponent's in BOTD, or else, they wouldn't be pacing the pack. They surelly believe Moser can win this.


Some breathtaking scenario as the breakaway started the downhill after the first climb


Garmin worked in the pack despite having a rider in the breakaway, with the help of Team Sky


Coming into the second climb, we decided that we would try to create a nasty situation for the other teams. The pace was too low, not many were getting dropped from the peloton, and this was not helping Andrea's cause. So we started pacing the climb with Dal Santo and Ravasi, but the pace was not splitting the peloton like we desire. So, we took plan B, and I told them to attack and distance themselves from the pack, to force the chase to happen. They went, and they got a gap. Dal Santo started putting a high pace with Ravasi in his wheel, and they got a 1'30'' gap to the pack, but still over a minute behind the breakaway. But now the pace on the pack was really high, just like we desired.
Meanwhile, in the breakaway, Davide Vigano rode away from his breakaway companions with a nice acceleration, which proved Garmin were right when thinking Bettiol couldn't win against this opposition. But during the downhill, the other three made the junction with Vigano.


Ravasi and Dal Santo attacking from the peloton


Vigàno dropping his breakaway companions


But they're back together come the downhill

Coming into the flat section between the second and third climb, Dal Santo letted Ravasi alone as he dropped back to the pack. Ravasi is not the greatest rolleur ever, so he was losing time back to the pack, and he was caught, but our goal was done, as the pace was now really high and the pack was stretching.


Ravasi got caught by the peloton, but his mission was sucessfull

That was proved once we got into the final big climb. Sky and Cannondale started sprinting once we got into the climb, and the break was quickly caught. We told Andrea via-radio to pace himself, don't go in the shock of the pace. A 6 men group got away from the main bunch. There were some big favourites here in the group, which consisted of Danny Pate and Nicolas Roche from Team Sky, Moreno Moser from Cannondale-Garmin, Alexander Kolobnev from Katusha, Dario Cataldo from Astana and Francesco Bongiorno from Bardiani. A fairly strong group, with Pate pacing the group for Roche.
Back in the pack, a bit behind the leading 6, Julien Berard attacked, and Fedi was right on his wheel, catching him, and passing him to pace the group himself for a few metres. The 6 man group needed to be caught at any expense. Then, the best thing that could've happened to us happened. Kolobnev went into the front of the group, and started dropping people. Firstly, Pate and Bongiorno, and then Cataldo, leaving only Roche and Moser with him in front. In the pack, more attacks followed in the pack, as Fumeaux attacked, and Berard countered, but they didn't gain space, as Astana upped the pace in order to catch the early attackers.


Sky having a sprint-like train entering the final big climb of the day, catching the breakaway


The 6 riders that broke away from the pack got a small advantage


Andrea responded to Berard's attack in order for the pack to continue the chase on the attackers

Kolobnev dropped Pate, Bongiorno and Cataldo from the group, leaving only Roche and Moser with him


Fumeaux tried to attack with Berard but they didn't got too far as Astana was now pacing the pack

Astana's work paid off, as they catched the attackers, and we we're back into a pack, although a much smaller one, with only the two small hills to go. But even before we hit the hills, attacks! Moser goes for it, and get's countered by most favourites, but, to even my surprise, Andrea himself got to the front of the group and catched them! During the hills, Andrea decided that he would pace the pack, and when coming into the final downhill, the pack splitter, and a 12 rider group remained in front to fi ght for the win. Oscar Gatto, from Androni, John Darwin Atapuma from BMC, Enrico Battaglin from Bardiani, Daryl Impey from Orica-GreenEDGE, Kristijan Durasek from Lampre-Merida, Dries Devenyns from IAM Cycling, Alexey Lutsenko from Astana, Nicolas Roche from Sky, Bob Jungels from Trek Factory Racing, Moreno Moser from Cannondale-Garmin, Alexandr Kolobnev from Katusha and our own Andrea Fedi from Barilla Ciclismo. Fedi was pacing the group, and he tell me via radio: "Massimo, my legs.. they're almost empty.. I feel them going." I shout him back, ignore the pain, and go for it man. You can do it Andrea.
This was going to be hard, as Gatto, Impey and Battaglin were good sprinters, and they were the favourites to win.


Astana caught the attackers in the downhill


Moser tried again to get a gap, but pretty much every favourite was on his wheel, including Andrea


Andrea paced the group throughout the final two climbs


The 12 man group that would fight for the win today, led by Andrea

1km to go. Andrea goes for it from the lead of the group, Kolobnev right in his wheel. Andrea was going well, but you could tell he was tired, as slowly the fresher riders started to pass him, and he was dropping. Andrea felt sad after the race, since he was really surprised by how strong he was, and he blamed the sudden changes of pace in the pack throughout the race that emptied his legs 400m short.
With this, Kolobnev was in the perfect position, and he took full advantage of it, as he took the win in Laigueglia. He had already shown his strength earlier on the race, and the strongest rider won. Impey came from a very bad position to take 2nd, and probably he could've won had he been better placed, while Jungels took the final step on the podium. Andrea was still able to beat two persons in the group, which meant a top 10 finish from him. I was happy. Andrea showed his full potential, and we know his capable of much more than this. He's a top rider.


Andrea was the first to start his sprint, but he was too tired to take advantage of his position


Kolobnev won the sprint, and proved to be the strongest around Laigueglia

Our first top 10 finish means we get some interesting points in the Coppa Italia standings, at least, individually speaking, as we were only 12th in the team classification, just like in G.P. Costa degli Etruschi. Our next race will be the Trofej Umag-Umag, our first race outside the Italian circuit. Preview will be here in the blog the moment we get the final startlist on. I hope you've enjoyed the read.