As usual in any cobbled classic, the break is hotly contested. After around 40 km’s raced and with 150 to go, a break of sixteen is formed. It consists out of the following names: Delco, Barthe, Salby, Perez, Gani, Vliegen, Bablidze, Mikutis, Antonijevic, Sommer, Dujardin, Bettiol, Baterdene, Russo, Miltiadis.
Delco leads the other fifteen to the top of the Salita di Velletri. The peloton, lead by the top cobbler teams such as Grieg, Tinkoff and Assa, is only two minutes behind with 100 km to the finish line. At the bottom of the climb this has even been reduced to 1’15”.
The first cobbled sector is 4.3 km long and causes the peloton to come at only thirty seconds of the leading group, at this point they might not even make the live images, that are coming to you soon. A little split occurred in the peloton, with Van der Poel and Ovsyannikov currently on the wrong side.
But right after that cobbled sector the pace momentarily went down again in the peloton. The sixteen leaders now one minute ahead of the 140-headed peloton with 65 km left on the menu, as the race can now be followed live as well!
Long range attack! Losch tries his luck on the cobbles with 53 km to the finish line, Merlier and Kamyshev follow, and Ulloa tries to join these three as well!
Debesay and Kortsidakis try to make a move forward as well with 48 km to go, and behind them it looks like De Witte and Vermeersch are also launching an attack now! Meanwhile the other four chasers are at 45 seconds of the race lead. The peloton now at 1’45” of the race lead, so everything close together.
41 km left and no cobbles for a little while now. The leading group has been reduced to 14, as this is the current situation. Everything still very close, with a peloton of 120 only 1’30” behind the race lead. King Power’s Salzmann looks like the biggest name dropped so far. In the peloton the teams working hardest are Vesuvio, Grieg and Assa.
Long cobbled sector with 30 km to go. Big turn by Driesje Van Gestel to bring back some (early) attackers, with the head of the race also right ahead of the peloton of 48 now. Ovsyannikov currently on the wrong side of the split, and as we speak we see Senechal with a flat tyre!
Great work by Van Gestel to catch everyone else on the cobbles as well, as at the end of the sector and with 27 km to go his leader Pedersen attacks! The Dane doesn’t get away, and immediately after that we see Theuns and Siric with an attempt! Grieg back to working and they catch those two quickly as well, as with exactly 20 km to go Bohli goes for glory! Some team tactics here by Grieg! 100 riders now in the peloton at 20”, although it has to be noted the peloton is very stretched out.
Bohli gets caught quickly, after which some shorter cobbled sectors are on the menu. Tinkoff now controlling the pace, with the likes of Siric, Spengler, Wisniowski, Pedersen and Jacobs also near the first positions.
The Bosnian champion is feeling good! Another attack by him with 10 km to go, and he brings an interesting group of 12 other riders with him right before the big finale! One of the big names missing out is Theuns!
Wisniowski solo with 8 km to go, big attack by the Pole from Assa Abloy!
Who else other than the punchy Gaday to neutralize the Wisniowski attack on this steep uphill sector?! The Zara rider catches him, and immediately attacks again at the top, Pedersen in his wheel!
Those two get a gap, and are at twenty seconds ahead of these chasing eleven with 4.2 km to go! Will they survive the remaining cobbled sectors?!
3 km and one cobbled sector to go, as the gap has been reduced to seventeen seconds!
And a group of 15 is back together right after that cobbled sector, under the flamme rouge! One of the only ones who couldn’t make the jump is one of the favourites in this situation, one cobbled sector too much for Theuns today!
The Grieg Dane starts to sprint but can’t keep it up after his attack, it’s Wisniowski in the lead with 400 metres to go! Siric, Gaday, Summerhill, Jacobs, Rutsch and Ferreira all still within a bike length of the Pole!
But Wisniowski increases his lead, as everybody is at the end of their strenghts here! Bosnian champion Siric seems on his way to a very nice second place.
And he does it! Wisniowski wins the 2024 Roma Maxima!
Nice second place for Siric here.
Ferreira also on the podium ahead of Jacobs (4th), Summerhill (5th), Gaday (6th), Senechal (7th) and rutsch (8th). Top-10 rounded out by Spengler (9th) and Pedersen (10th).
