Several former winners on the favourites list, let’s see if any one of them is able to win Milano – Torino once again.
A leading group of no less than 18 riders quickly forms. Is the peloton going to let this happen that easily? 18 is quite a big number.
Tafjord, Cedevita, Philips, Popo, Gjensige, Voyagin and Amaysim working in the peloton. They came as close as 25”, but then the gap started becoming bigger again. The eighteen leaders, with 100 km to go, are Reddish, Evangelos, Karatsivis, Gamper, Venturini, Colleoni, Räim, Chumil, Lord, Brun, Konwa, Petrucci, Banicek, Lazkano, Fejes, Ries, Rowsell, Noppe.
Finale coming closer now. We reach the top of a rather easy climb with 37 km left, as there are six climbs on the menu still. Same eighteen leaders as before remain together, as a peloton of 140-ish riders is only 1’30” behind.
Ries, Noppe and Lazkano create a 20 second gap over the fifteen other leaders on this short but steep hill. Exactly 25 km to the finish line at the top, with four climbs left. 45 seconds behind the 15 other leaders is a peloton of 63, led by domestique Stoltz. Some interesting names that are in the group of seventy riders an additional minute behind are Schlegel, Zordan, Hoelgaard, Mudarra, Grossschartner, Rota, Poljanski and Bratashcuk.
As the three leaders reach the top of the next climb with 18 km to the finish line, Gaudu has ensured the fifteen other are caught and the difference between the three leaders and the peloton of 61 is now 45 seconds! Noppe looks done for!
With 12.5 km to go and two climbs left, Ries is the final breakaway survivor! Storer set a high pace in the group of favourites and is now at 20” with some favourites in his wheel. There seem to be some small gaps, let’s see if the descent brings everyone back together, or they get even bigger!
Raileanu ensures the catch is made just before the penultimate climb and with 8.5 km left! We have a leading group of 41, with just behind them Paulinho! The Portuguese won’t be winning Milano – Torino it seems!
The penultimate climb has two different steep sections. Raileanu has set the pace on the first one, now it’s Ssabagwanya taking over.
Eiking attacks on the second steep section! In his wheel are Beltran, Moscon and Aranburu!
Those four have a small gap going into the final descent! Eight riders just behind them, they are Gebrezgabihier, Benoot, Borges, McCarthy, Asgreen, Kinoshita, Silva and Ssabagwanya!
2 km to go as we are on the final climb! 21 seconds for these four! Moscon has done well here in the past, and has a lot of faith in himself! He attacks!
So far the other three are able to follow! Under the flamme rouge the group of five favourites behind, with the three domestiques overboard, is still twenty seconds behind!
The Jura rider looks done for, as Eiking and Beltran take over with 800 metres left!
The Gjensidige rider can’t follow the man in orange anymore, but it is not over yet! Aranburu accelerates as well now, and is closing in on Beltran! 500 metres to climb!
Aranburu sits down with 200 metres to go, this seems to be it for Beltran! Out of nowhere Kinoshita comes with great speed from behind, the Japanese from Voyagin still hoping to win some places!
Oh and this feels amazing for Beltran! The Colombian did not have the best season, but definitely performs today, he shouts it out, he gives Cedevita a well-deserved win, and he becomes the second rider to win this race twice, together with the legendary Chris Froome!
Great ride from Aranburu as well, as the Carlsberg Spaniard comes in second! Eiking does very well to finish on the podium in this rather mountain heavy race! Moscon manages to hold off Kinoshita for fourth place, not a bad result by the Jura man either!
McCarthy beats Borges to the line for sixth place, with Gebrezgabihier coming in eighth ahead of Tiesj Benoot.
Superb ride by domestique Ssabagwanya, rounding off the top-10. De Plus then in eleventh ahead of other strong domestiques Asgreen and Silva, with Belgian puncheur Meurisse in fourteenth ahead of quite a large group.
And over there Raileanu sprints to a nice fifteenth place for himself. That’s it for today, thanks for being here with me!
