81rst Giro della Toscana
A surprising finish for the fastmen in Rigunti... Victory by centimeters with an all Italian podium.

Wheel to wheel Gavazzi and Chicchi. Photo © Fotoreporter Sirotti

24-year-old rider Mattia Gavazzi (Preti Mangimi-Prisma Stufe) won Sunday's 81st edition of the Tour of Tuscany one-day race in a close sprint. Fellow Italian fastmen Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas) and Gabriele Balducci (Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo) clinched the other podium places.

The son of Italy's three-time national champion Pierino Gavazzi had the quickest legs in the bunch sprint of some 56 riders that came at the end of the 197 km trip from Sansepolcro to Rigutino - both places are in located the Arezzo area of southern Tuscany - and clocked a winning time of 4 hours 40 minutes.

Oh well, maybe it was the former World RR Champion (in the U23 class) Chicchi who had the best legs there, but the Liqui-guy made a big mistake as he started to celebrate his "victory" (or what he thought was going to be his victory) a bit too early and stopped pushing, such that the man from Lombardy smartly came around him and crossed the line in first place.

Chicchi looks down to check his position on the finish line only to realize he has celebrated too soon as Gavazzi passes him at the line. Balducci on the wheels of the two for third.  Photo © Fotoreporter Sirotti

Gavazzi a second year pro who will be 25 on June 14th, added the win to his growing palmares having won six races in his 2007 including two stages in the Tour de Normandie and the Univest Grand Prix Criterium. Mattia is off to a grand start this season and can add this win to his 2008 account after winning the second stage in Settimana Ciclista Lombarda and 5 trips to the podium.

134 riders left the Viale Diaz in Sansepolcro at 11:30 in the morning headed for Rigutino at test of 194.7 kilometers under sunny skies with three climbs the main difficulties being the Passeo dello Spino a climb of 1055 meters (50 km) and the 703 meter Scarpaccia with the summit only 20 km from the finish.

Mattia starts his celebration as Francesco lowers his arms with a pained expression on his face. Photo © Fotoreporter Sirotti

As expected the race split on the climb of the Spino, Liquigas kept the race together with Franco Pellizotti leading the escape. The attacks on the final climb of the Scarpia split the group again to but the attack of Pellizotti was brought back ten kilometers from the finish where Liquigas and CSF tried to control the peloton now reduced to 60 riders to the finish.

Arriving into the Rigutino chaos ensued in the final 3 kms with none of the sprinters teams able to gain control into the final km with all 60 riders spread out across the road barreling towards the finish with Gavazzi and Chicchi wheel to wheel for the win. Gavazzi's legs made the final comment at the finish, proving he wasn't easily discounted until his wheel crossed the line...  as Chicchi watched in surprise that the younger rider took the victory from his grasp.

Francesco Chicchi, Mattia Gavazzi and Grabriele Balducci
Photo © Fotoreporter Sirotti

81rst Giro della Toscana
194.7 km - 4:45:00
1 123 GAVAZZI Mattia ITA GAP 4.45'00''
2 5 CHICCHI Faancesco ITA LIQ 4.45'00'' 0'00''
3 42 BALDUCCI Gabriele ITA ASA 4.45'00''

A very happy Mattia Gavazzi who celebrates his 25th birthday in a few weeks on June 14th. Quite a win for the young rider when you look at the results and see the sprinters he bested. Photo © Fotoreporter Sirotti

4 21 RICHEZE Maximiliano ARG CSF 4.45'00''
5 95 KHALILOV Mikhaylo UKR FLM 4.45'00''
6 27 GRILLO Paride ITA CSF 4.45'00''
7 164 MACHADO PEREZ Honorio VEN KPT 4.45'00''
8 72 CADAMURO Simone ITA NEP 4.45'00''
9 14 HONDO Danilo GER CLM 4.45'00''

Mattia Celebrates... while Francesco lowers his arms, almost looking like he would like to pull his rival back for a rerun of the finish. Photo © Fotoreporter Sirotti

10 144 CALLIGARIN Daniele ITA CZP 4.45'00''
11 114 CORSINI Marco ITA NGC 4.45'00''
12 35 O'GRADY Stuart AUS CSC 4.45'00''
13 102 SZCZAWINSKI Krzysztof POL MIE 4.45'00''
14 51 BAILETTI Paolo ITA LPR 4.45'00''
15 153 D'ANGELO Davide ITA PNB 4.45'00''
16 91 D'ANIELLO Antonio ITA FLM 4.45'00''
17 71 AGOSTA Domenico ITA NEP 4.45'00''
18 65 TIMOCHINE Mikhail RUS AMO 4.45'00''
19 117 SIGNEGO Alessio ITA NGC 4.45'00''
20 175 IACHINI Pasquale ITA HAD 4.45'00''
21 96 GIORDANI Leonardo ITA FLM 4.45'00''
22 154 KUSZTOE Peter HUN PNB 4.45'00''
23 64 METLUSHENKO Yuri UKR AMO 4.45'00''
24 171 ANDRENACCI Danilo ITA HAD 4.45'00''
25 115 CANNONE Donato ITA NGC 4.45'00''
26 174 GHISELLI Marco ITA HAD 4.45'00''
27 24 DALL'ANTONIA Tiziano ITA CSF 4.45'00''
28 58 PROCH Walter ITA LPR 4.45'00''
29 61 KOHUT Slawomir POL AMO 4.45'00''
30 168 ZAMPILLI Rino ITA KPT 4.45'00''
31 132 DI LORENZO Alberto ITA ASY 4.45'00''
32 37 HAEDO Juan Josè RAG CSC 4.45'00''
33 88 MATVEYEV Sergey UKR CIN 4.45'00''
34 77 WIESIAK Mariusz POL NEP 4.45'00''
35 124 HONCHAR Serghiy UKR GAP 4.45'00''
36 133 FOURNET FAYARD Sebastian FRA ASY 4.45'00''
37 151 RIZZA Emanuele ITA PNB 4.45'00''
38 107 CARTA Maurizio ITA MIE 4.45'00''
39 122 CORRA' Carlo ITA GAP 4.45'00''
40 162 CARLETTI Marco ITA KPT 4.45'00''
41 127 SHPILEVSKIY Boris RUS GAP 4.45'00''
42 173 CAMELO Armando ITA HAD 4.45'00''
43 141 RUBIANO CHAVEZ MiguelAngel COL CZP 4.45'00''
44 15 IVANOV Ruslan MDA CLM 4.45'00''
45 66 SHAUN Davel RSA AMO 4.45'00''
46 36 BLAUDZUN MICHAEL DEN CSC 4.45'00''
47 104 DEGANO Enrico ITA MIE 4.45'00''
48 112 CAMUSSA Piergiorgio ITA NGC 4.45'00''
49 78 RATTI Eddy ITA NEP 4.45'00''
50 25 PRIAMO Matteo ITA CSF 4.45'00''
51 52 BOSISIO Gabriele ITA LPR 4.45'00''
52 94 KAIRELIS Dainius LTU FLM 4.45'00''
53 7 VANOTTI Alessandro ITA LIQ 4.45'00''
54 145 ZANASCA Luca ITA CZP 4.45'00''
55 54 ERMETI Giairo ITA LPR 4.45'00''
56 33 SCHLECK Frank LUX CSC 4.45'00''

57 2 NOE' Andrea ITA LIQ 4.46'50'' 1'50''
58 8 WEGELIUS Charles GBR LIQ 4.46'50'' 1'50''
59 134 GENOVESI Diego ITA ASY 4.47'15'' 2'15''
60 131 BRUSON Simone ITA ASY 
61 63 QUARANTA Ivan ITA AMO 
62 82 SZEGHALMI Balint HUN CIN 
63 156 ARVAI Attila HUN PNB 
64 152 MADARAS Zoltan HUN PNB 
65 101 NIEMIEC Przemyslaw POL MIE 
66 105 MUTO Pasquale ITA MIE 
67 108 D'ANDREA Nicola ITA MIE 
68 172 ARDILA CANO Fader Anders COL HAD 
69 16 SERPA Osè COL CLM 
70 176 MUNOZ GIRALDO Julian David COL HAD 
71 67 MARTINEZ Miguel FRA AMO 
72 74 SHIMIZU Yoshiyuki JPN NEP 
73 26 BONGIORNO Ruben ARG CSF 
74 166 RICHEZE Roberto Antonio ARG KPT 
75 41 AREKEEV Alexander RUS ASA 
76 87 KVACHUK Alexey UKR CIN 
77 62 NISSEN Soren DEN AMO 
78 142 KROL Artur POL CZP 
79 125 MAZZANTI Massimo ITA GAP 4.47'40'' 2'40''
80 128 ZANOTTI Marco ITA GAP 4.47'40'' 2'40''
81 135 BRUSSE Paul FRA ASY 4.49'00'' 4'00''
82 28 FRAPPORTI Marco ITA CSF 4.49'00'' 4'00''
83 126 GOBBI Michele ITA GAP 4.49'00'' 4'00''
84 121 COMMESSO Salvatore ITA GAP 4.49'00'' 4'00''
Started: 134
Abandoned: 50

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