Visconti Victorious!
54th Coppa Sabatini
A perfect strategy from Milram's Antonio Bevilacqua and Team Milram led to
today's first elite pro victory for Young Gun Giovanni Visconti.
Giovanni Visconti has won on the Coppa Sabatini. The Milram rider took the
victory after 197 kilometers of racing ahead of Ruggero Marzoli of the
Lampre-team and Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas).
Visconti leads Marzoli, Gasparotto and three Acqua e Sapone riders Sergio
Marinangeli, Simone Masciarelli, and Rinaldo Nocentini to the line.
photo c. Fotoreporter Sirotti
Visconti was part of a 16 man break that had escaped 12 kilometres from the
finish. Milram also had Mirko Celestino and Andrey Grivko in the break, and the
Milram trio worked perfectly together to prepare for the sprint finish. It was
23 year old Giovanni Visconti’s first professional victory, and the German
Italian Teams 24th victory of the season.
Vittorio Giovanni Visconti
photo c. Fotoreporter Sirotti
Giovanni Visconti was overjoyed over its success: "It has finally worked out.
In the past, I have always gone well towards the end of the season but somehow
have always missed out”.
He dedicated the victory to the Milram Team, “My aim was to give the
Team another victory, and since I am leaving at the end of the season I probably
felt less pressure than before”.
" Grivko set the pace of the group and then Celestino lead me out until 300
metres to go. Gasparotto, was the first to make a move and I got onto his wheel
and made my jump with just a few metres to go. It was perfect team work”
Rather unusually all top ten riders in the race came from one nation – Italy
Giovanni lifts the Sabatini Cup in celebration.
Photo c. Fotoreporter Sirotti
23 year old Giovanni Visconti can count this as his first victory as an elite
pro, Giovanni can count ten U-23 victories in his last two years as a pro riding
for DeNardi and Domina Vacanze before joining Milram this season. Giovanni
winless in 2005 (and this year until today) since his victory at the 2004 U-23
Ronde van Vlaanderen, had two seconds places this year in the Trofeo Melinda and
GP Industria & Commercio di Prato to end the season on a strong note.
Visconti added, '...coming to the race I must say, that our sport director
Antonio Bevilacqua had given us a strategy that worked to perfection, it was
like he had already seen the race and the finish.
"All perfectly as as Bevilacqua predicted," said Visconti.
Podium: Marzoli, Visconti and Gasparotto
c. Fotoreporter Sirotti
Results 54th Coppa Sabatini
197.7 km - 4:44:40
1 Giovanni Visconti (Ita-Milram)
2 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita-Lampre/Fondital)
3 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita-Liqquigas)
4 Sergio Marinangeli (Ita-NaturoSapone)
5 Simone Masciarelli (Ita-Aqua e Sapone)
6 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita-Aqua e Sapone)
7 Luca Solari (Ita-Agc)
8 Matteo Carrara (Ita-Lamre/Fondital)
9 Riccardo Riccò (Ita-Saunier Duval/Prodir)
10 Eddy Ratti (Ita-Naturo Sapone)
11 Alexander Arekeev (Rus-Aqua e Sapone)
12 Marlon A.Perez Arango (Col-Tenax)
13 Santo Anza (Ita-Selle Italia)
14 Giuseppe Di Grande (Ita-Miche) :06
15 Mirko Celestino (Ita-Milram)
16 Manuele Mori (Ita-Saunier Duval/Prodir) :11
17 Alexander Efimkin (Rus-Barloworld) :15
18 Ruslan Pidgronyy (Ukr-Tenax) :24
19 Sergio Barbero (Ita-Selle Italia)
20 Paolo Bailetti (Ita-Agc)
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