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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
Six days after winning stage three of the Tour of Beijing, Nicolas Roche raced to a fine fifth place in the Gran Piemonte in Italy today.
The Ag2r La Mondiale rider finished in a breakaway group at the end of the 199 kilometre race, sprinting in towards the front of the 14-rider move and crossing the line in the same time as the Spanish winner Dani Moreno (Katusha).
Paris-Tours winner Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) was second, with Luca Paolini (Katusha) and Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) finishing just ahead of Roche.
Also in the move were Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-ISD), Daniele Bennati (Leoapard-Trek) and Andre Steensen (Saxo Bank-Sungard), who completed the top eight, as well as Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), Mathias Frank and Ivan Santaromita (both BMC Racing Team), Oliver Zaugg (Leopard Trek), Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Thomas Löfkvist (Team Sky), who played a big part in forming the break with his aggressive riding.
Roche’s result is all the more noteworthy because he was the only rider in the top placings who competed in Beijing. After finishing up eleventh overall in the race on Sunday, he had to make the long trip back to Europe and so would have some residual fatigue from that.
The result will consequently boost his motivation prior to Saturday’s concluding Classic, the Tour of Lombardy. His first cousin Dan Martin (Garmin-Cervélo) will race there, as will their fellow Irish pro Philip Deignan (Team RadioShack). They too have shown good form of late and will aim to ride strongly.
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Gran Piemonte, Italy (1.HC):
Piasco to Novi Ligure:
1, Dani Moreno (Katusha) 199 kilometres in 4 hours 45 mins 16 secs
2, Greg Van Avermaet (BMC)
3, Luca Paolini (Katusha)
4, Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
5, Nicolas Roche (AG2R)
6, Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-ISD)
7, Daniele Bennati (Leoapard-Trek)
8, Andre Steensen (Saxo Bank-Sungard) all same time
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