Paul Lapeira (Decathlon CMA CGM Team, France) won Coppa Agostoni on 4 October, in the sprint of a group of 6 riders, in 3h51’23”. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates XRG, United States) was second, Andrea Raccagni Noviero (Soudal Quick-Step, Italy) third.
The race
Coppa Agostoni, in its 79th edition, started and finished in Lissone: 166.7 kilometres on a circuit to be lapped several times, with the climbs of Sirtori, Colle Brianza and Lissolo. It was slow to find the right breakaway and quick to be decided once the climbing began to thin out the field.
The first to try their luck were Paul Lapeira, Nicola Conci, Mauro Schmid, Filippo Turconi and Sam Maisonobe. They never had more than a minute’s lead and the peloton caught them as the road started to climb. Soon afterwards a second, larger group formed, including McNulty, Francesco Busatto, Schmid, Maisonobe, Lapeira, Raccagni Noviero and Lorenzo Fortunato. Colle Brianza and Lissolo whittled it down.
The decisive moment came with about forty kilometres still to go, between the last climb and a long rolling stretch. Pidcock, the most closely watched rider, attacked from the chasing group. With him were Jhonatan Narvaez and Adam Yates, two of McNulty’s team-mates: UAE had men both in front and behind, and could play it calmly. Those who had lost contact, such as Raccagni Noviero, managed to get back on.
Up front, Lapeira, McNulty, Schmid, Fortunato and Maisonobe went over the last climb together, with around a minute on Pidcock’s chase. They soon picked up Raccagni Noviero. The six worked together all the way to the line: Fortunato tried to slip away, but was always brought back. Behind, XDS Astana pulled with Conci and Velasco to keep the chase alive, without managing to close the gap.
In the sprint Schmid launched long and for a moment looked as if he might take it. Lapeira stayed on his wheel and passed him, keeping McNulty, the reigning world champion, and the young Raccagni Noviero, of Soudal Quick-Step, behind. Schmid was fourth, Maisonobe fifth, Fortunato sixth: all in the same time as the winner, 3h51’23”.
Conci finished seventh at 54”. Pidcock’s group came in at 1’03”, and Pidcock ended up eighteenth: favourite on the eve of the race, beaten by a break he never pulled back.
For Lapeira, 26, it is a win that brings something new: Coppa Agostoni had not gone to a Frenchman since at least 2018.
The first of the Italians is Andrea Raccagni Noviero, Soudal Quick-Step, 3rd in the same time as the winner; among the top ten there are 4 Italians. 55 riders finished out of 149 starters.
How they finished
The top ten
| # | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Lapeira | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | 3h51’23” |
| 2 | Brandon McNulty | UAE Team Emirates XRG | s.t. |
| 3 | Andrea Raccagni Noviero | Soudal Quick-Step | s.t. |
| 4 | Mauro Schmid | Team Jayco Alula | s.t. |
| 5 | Sam Maisonobe | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 6 | Lorenzo Fortunato | XDS Astana Team | s.t. |
| 7 | Nicola Conci | XDS Astana Team | +54″ |
| 8 | Simone Velasco | XDS Astana Team | +1’03” |
| 9 | Emiel Verstrynge | Alpecin-Premier Tech | +1’03” |
| 10 | Pepijn Reinderink | Soudal Quick-Step | +1’03” |
The race in numbers
- Selection index
- 88 out of 100 Of 55 finishers: 6 within 30 seconds of the winner, 45 within 2 minutes, all within 10 minutes (the winner included). It runs from 0, a bunch sprint, to 98, a solo finish.
News written with the help of Mnemosyne.
Sources
- Results and times: UCI, official results.
- Photo: Hugo LUC, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
