Philippe Gilbert doubles up in Gran Piemonte
The Gran Piemonte, one of the last of the Italian season, was won by the defending champion Philippe Gilbert on Thursday. At 1km from the finish line, a leading trio of Dane Matti Breschel, and Italians Filippo Pozzato and Leonardo Bertagnolli, seemed poised
to share the podium until Gilbert made a perfect surprise solo attack and they could not keep up.
“I felt good and was able to finish off the work of the team,” said Gilbert to
Gazzetta dello Sport. “With 700m to go I felt more or less like I did at the world championships but you can’t always win even when your form is great.”
The Belgian Omega Pharma-Lotto rider crossed the finish line alone, two seconds ahead of Bertagnolli and Breshchel. Pozzato fell a further two seconds back, finishing at the head of a 24-man chase group.
"Gilbert showed he still has his form from the Worlds," said Pozzato.
The race was significantly reshaped when the six-rider break took a wrong turn 30km from the finish line of the 194km race and lost any chance of a breakaway victory. The peloton came back together at the entrance to the 18km finishing circuit in Cossato
and Gilbert went on to cross the line with his arms in the air, a feat he plans to repeat in Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia.
"Tomorrow, I will go and ride part of the course, covering the new climb," said Gilbert of Saturday’s race. "I am more worried about the descent after the the Colma di Sormano."
He was an overwhelming favourite for the World Championships less than two weeks ago, but all the attention from that fact meant that nobody would let him get away at the road race in Geelong, Australia. Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd went on to win the
race and debuted his rainbow jersey at the Gran Piemonte.
“I was meant to have my holiday with my family, but when I won the world championship I was really proud, and I wanted to honour the jersey and so also race in 2010,” said Hushovd. “Racing in Italy is special because of the history of cycling here and the
pride Italy has for the rainbow jersey. So I’m doing this race and then the Lombardy, and then my season is over.”
The 2009 World Champion Cadel Evans abandoned the fast-paced race halfway through.
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