Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Merida) won his first race in almost a year as he took the third stage of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali in a close sprint at the top of the Piane di Mocogno. The former Giro d’Italia winner was the fastest of a group of eleven riders that arrived at the summit finish together, just edging out Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia) at the line, with Matej Mugerli (Adria Mobil) third.
"Very good legs, outstanding team mates, perfect bike: this is the secret of today victory,” said Cunego afterwards. “The team performed a very good race, I added my own strength in the final kilometres.
“It was not so simple, since our opponents tried to attack [teammate and race leader Diego] Ulissi and me several times, but we managed the situation and so I could fight for the sprint. Santambrogio was a tough opponent, so the victory is even more valuable."
Ulissi finished in eleventh place, at the back of the group, and so held on to his overall lead, with the top of the overall standings largely unchanged.
The 157km stage saw a breakaway from Stefano Pirazzi (Bardiani-CSF Inox), Fabio Felline (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela), Jaroslaw Marycz (CCC Polsat Polkowice), Leonardo Duque (Colombia), Klemen Stimulak (Adria Mobil), Chrisopher Jones and Keil Reijnen (both UnitedHealthcare), Manuel Amaro and Filippo Savini (Flaminia Ceramica-Fondriest) and August Jensen (Oster Hus Ridley), who escaped after the first, flat 40km of the stage.
Pirazzi tried to escape alone, and was later joined by stage 1a winner Felline Stimulak and Stimulak, but they were caught by the accelerating peloton in the closing kilometres. There was then an attack from Lucas Euser (UnitedHealthcare) in the final ten kilometres, but the American was chased down by the head of the peloton, which was down to just eleven riders by the time it arrived at the summit finish.
Settimana Coppi e Bartali
Stage 3, Zola Predosa to Piane di Mocogno, 157km
1. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Merida
2. Mauro Santambrogio (Ita) Vini Fantini-Selle Italia
3. Matej Mugerli (Slo) Adria Mobil
4. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Polsat Polkowice
5. Leopold König (Cze) Team NetApp-Endura
6. Miguel Angel Rubiano (Col) Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela
7. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Team Gourmetfein-Simplon
8. Francesco Bongiorno (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox
9. Ivan Basso (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling
10. Robinson Chalapud (Col) Team Colombia
Standings after stage 3:
1. Diego Ulissi (Ita) Lampre-Merida
2. Miguel Angel Rubiano (Col) Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela @ 58s
3. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Merida @ 1’07”
4. Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Polsat Polkowice @ 1’40”
5. Leopold König (Cze) Team NetApp-Endura @ 1’42”
6. Ivan Basso (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling
7. Francesco Bongiorno (Ita) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox @ 1’46”
8. Riccardo Zoidl (Aut) Team Gourmetfein-Simplon @ 1’52”
9. Sergio Pardilla (Spa) MTN-Qhubeka @ 2’17”
10. Raoslav Rodina (Cro) Adria Mobil @ 2’49”