The young Italian wasn’t far from what would have been his first top three finish in the pro ranks.
Starting and finishing in Legnano – the site of the Lombard League’s historic victory over Frederic Barbarossa in 1176 – the 106th edition of Coppa Bernocchi revolved again around the traditional circuit featuring the Caramamma. Nicknamed the “Piccolo Stelvio”, this 1.6km climb averaged 6.8% and was tackled a total of eight times, the last of these ascents coming with around 30 kilometers to go.
Just five days after finishing a strong fourth at the ITT European Championships in France, Ethan Hayter was again in the thick of the action, as one of the five riders to book a place in the main breakaway of the day, which went on to open a maximum gap of two minutes. The former British Champion put in a strong effort there, but the group was overhauled by the peloton with 64 kilometers to go.
Soon after the catch was made, a dozen or so riders attacked and built a margin of almost one minute on the bunch, but also this move was brought back as the race entered the town. Two kilometers from the line, a dangerous duo rode away, and it was thanks to our team’s mammoth pull at the front that Coppa Bernocchi eventually came down to a mass gallop, as the two were reabsorbed with 400 meters to go.
Excellently positioned by his Soudal Quick-Step teammates, Andrea Raccagni once again showed his sprint and took a remarkable fourth place, behind Dorian Godon (Decathlon-AG2R), who was victorious in Legnano after a photo-finish.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure of what I would be able to do today, because I didn’t have the best feeling at the start. But the team worked hard to bring the escapees back and I felt better and better as the race progressed, so I just tried my chance in the sprint. I’m enjoying a solid final part of the season and I’m glad I could show this by bringing the team some nice results”, said Andrea, who leads the general classification of the Trittico Lombardo thanks to this result and last Sunday’s top ten in Coppa Agostoni.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
