Carving his way solo past some of the top highlights in Rome and then sprinting up a unique finishing straight with the Coliseum on the horizon, Ag2r La Mondiale rider Blel Kadri scooped one of the biggest results of his career today when he won the Maxima Roma race.
The young Frenchman ended the 180 kilometre event 37 seconds clear of a large chasing bunch, led home by a jubilant – and soon-to-be embarrassed – Filippo Pozzato (Lampre Merida), who believed he had won the race and threw his arms in the air.
Grega Bole (Vacansoleil-DCM) filled out the podium, while Enrico Barbin (Bardiani-CSF), Simone Ponzi (Astana) and Leonardo Duque (Colombia) occupied the remaining places in the top six.
“It’s a beautiful race. The middle section reminded me of Liège-Bastogne-Liège,” said a delighted Kadri afterwards. “The race start and finish is incredible. I’ve never been to Rome before, and it is really magical.”
He was one of four riders who went clear early after the departure from the Via dei Fori Imperial, a move which built up a lead of almost nine minutes. Kadri and Caja Rural's Manuel Antonio Cardoso pushed ahead of the other two in the second half of the race and had a lead of two minutes over the bunch chasing behind with some 40 kilometres left.
Seeking to get back on terms, the hill run-in saw former Vuelta a España winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) attack, along with Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha), Francesco Reda, Miguel Angel Rubiano (Androni) and Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia).
Kadri pushed ahead of Cardoso and rode flat out to the finish, remaining clear as the Nibali group was swept up. He raced in to take a fine victory in the new race, which is based on the old Giro del Lazio event, while Pozzato was caught out by the lack of race radios in the 1.1 event and galloped in, fully convinced he was first across the line.
He was surprised not to be the winner, while Kadri was equally stunned to be on top of the podium. “The race wasn’t even on my programme until Friday, when my team-mate Steve Chainel fell ill,” he said. “I could have gone home after Strade Bianche, but the team asked me if I wanted to ride and I said, ‘Yes.’”
Kadri has ridden well for several years, but often as a domestique. That is changing as he becomes older and stronger, and today’s race shows just how capable he is of seizing opportunities. There was serious firepower chasing behind yet despite being clear for so long, he was able to hold off those trying to reel him in.
“I have to get into breakaways in order to win. First, my team-mate Montaguti tried, and then I managed to get into the group of four,” he said, explaining his tactics. “On the Salita dei Cappuccini, I didn’t intend to attack alone. There were still 37 km to go. But, on the spur of the moment, I went alone. The Caja Rural rider [Cardoso] stayed with me for a while, then I dropped him on the pavé.’”
As the finish approached, Nibali, Caruso, Reda, Rubiano and Santambrogio set off in pursuit and did their utmost to get across. Kadri said he had to make sure not to panic. “I believed in my attack. I said to myself, ‘Give it 100%. If you blow up, too bad’,” he explained. “I knew there was a group of chasers, but I thought it was the remains of the breakaway, not Nibali. The final profile helped me hold off the peloton.”
Roma Maxima (1.1)
Rome-Rome:
1, Blel Kadrid (Ag2r La Mondiale) 180 kilometres in 4 hours 26 mins 17 secs
2, Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) at 37 secs
3, Grega Bole (Vacansoleil-DCM)
4, Enrico Barbin (Bardiani-CSF)
5, Simone Ponzi (Astana)
6, Leonardo Duque (Colombia)
7, Giovanni Visconti (Movistar Team)
8, Simon Geschke (Argos-Shimano) m.t.
9, Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil-DCM)
10, Sergei Chernetskii (Katusha)
11, Mikael Cherel (AG2R La Mondiale)
12, Mirko Selvaggi (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team)
13, Damiano Caruso (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
14, Amets Txurruka (Caja Rural)
15, Angel Vicioso Arcos (Katusha)
16, Matteo Rabottini (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia)
17, Francois Parisien (Team Argos-Shimano)
18, Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli)
19, Valerio Agnoli (Astana Pro Team)
20, Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia)
21, Dmitry Kozontchuk (Katusha)
22, Riccardo Chiarini (Androni Giocattoli)
23, Omar Fraile Matarranza (Caja Rural)
24, Miguel Angel Rubiano Chavez (Androni Giocattoli)
25, Francesco Reda (Androni Giocattoli)
26, Marcel Wyss (IAM Cycling)
27, Christophe Premont (Crelan-Euphony)
28, Francesco Manuel Bongiorno (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
29, Stephen Cummings (BMC Racing Team)
30, Sébastien Reichenbach (IAM Cycling)
31, Alan Marangoni (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
32, Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Movistar Team)
33, Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida)
34, Daniele Pietropolli (Lampre-Merida)
35, Jarlinson Pantano (Colombia)
36, Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale)
37, Fabio Aru (Astana Pro Team)
38, Andre Fernando S. Martins Cardoso (Caja Rural)
39, Simone Stortoni (Lampre-Merida) at 46 secs
40, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Pro Team) at 48 secs
41, Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha) at 1 min 30 secs
42, Albert Timmer (Team Argos-Shimano) at 2 mins 7 secs
43, Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Movistar Team) at 3 mins 12 secs
44, Manuel Belletti (AG2R La Mondiale)
45, Francesco Lasca (Caja Rural)
46, Luka Mezgec (Team Argos-Shimano)
47, Sacha Modolo (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
48, Oscar Gatto (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia)
49, Francisco Javier Moreno Allue (Caja Rural)
50, Davide Cimolai (Lampre-Merida)
51, Gilles Devillers (Crelan-Euphony)
52, Rémi Cusin (IAM Cycling)
53, Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Movistar Team)
54, Edoardo Zardini (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
55, Dalivier Ospina Navarro (Colombia)
56, Marcel Aregger (IAM Cycling)
57, Lawrence Warbasse (BMC Racing Team)
58, Maxim Belkov (Katusha)
59, Michael Rodriguez Galindo (Colombia)
60, Rob Ruijgh (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team)
61, Cameron Wurf (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
62, Pavel Brutt (Katusha)
63, Marco Frapporti (Androni Giocattoli)
64, Darwin Atapuma (Colombia)
65, Thomas Damuseau (Team Argos-Shimano)
66, Juraj Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
67, Ben Gastauer (AG2R La Mondiale)
68, Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team)
69, Nariyuki Masuda (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
70, Pim Ligthart (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team)
71, Przemyslaw Niemiec (Lampre-Merida)
72, Patrick Schelling (IAM Cycling)
73, Sylvain Georges (AG2R La Mondiale)
74, Francesco Failli (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia)
75, Stefano Agostini (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
76, Fabio Felline (Androni Giocattoli)
77, Stefano Garzelli (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia)
78, Fabio Taborre (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia)
79, Tomasz Marczynski (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team)
80, Alessandro Proni (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia)
81, Ivan Velasco Murillo (Caja Rural)
82, Jonathan Fumeaux (IAM Cycling)
83, John Gadret (AG2R La Mondiale)
84, Carlos Julian Quintero (Colombia)
85, Stefano Pirazzi (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
86, Angelo Pagani (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
87, Eros Capecchi (Movistar Team)
88, Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)
89, Daniel Petrov (Caja Rural) at 4 mins 51 secs
90, Mattia Gavazzi (Androni Giocattoli) at 6 mins 37 secs
91, Fabio Duarte (Colombia)
92, Vladimir Isaichev (Katusha)
93, Alexandr Pliuschin (IAM Cycling)
94, Martin Kohler (BMC Racing Team)
95, Johannes Fröhlinger (Team Argos-Shimano)
96, Sébastien Delfosse (Crelan-Euphony)
97, Matthias Brandle (IAM Cycling)
98, Tanel Kangert (Astana Pro Team)
99, Sebastian Lander (BMC Racing Team) at 9 mins 50 secs
100, Klaas Sys (Crelan-Euphony)
101, Jeffry Johan Romero Corredor (Colombia)
102, Joeri Bueken (Crelan-Euphony)
103, Dmitriy Gruzdev (Astana Pro Team)
104, Michel Koch (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
105, Baptiste Planckaert (Crelan-Euphony)
106, Stijn Steels (Crelan-Euphony)
107, Ramon Sinkeldam (Team Argos-Shimano)
108, Wesley Kreder (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team)
109, Reinier Honig (Crelan-Euphony)
110, Massimo Graziato (Lampre-Merida)
111, Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff (Astana Pro Team)
112, Federico Canuti (Cannondale Pro Cycling)
113, Klaas Lodewyck (BMC Racing Team)
114, Alessandro Vanotti (Astana Pro Team)
115, Javier Francisco Aramendia Lorente (Caja Rural)
116, Thomas Peterson (Team Argos-Shimano)
117, Donato De Ieso (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox)