Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli - Just In
Spanish Victory in Monteveglio - Francisco Ventoso takes the first home win for the Carmiooro/A-Style squad

Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) led over the 8th and final climb of the Zappolino with 7 kilometers to go and was joined on the descent by Rabobank's Paul Martens but the duo's slim margin was closed in the final 3 kilometers as the peloton flew to a bunch finish.

Vittoria  Josè Francisco Ventoso!! Giovanni Visconti gives his all but comes up short; Enrico Rossi and Luca Paolini battle for the final podium step. Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

Spanish sprinter Francisco Ventoso of Carmiooro/A-Style) took an impressive victory going away in style at the finish ahead of  ISD's Giovanni Visconti and Enrico Rossi  (Faminia/Bossini Docce) who joined Ventoso on the podium in second and third places. Acqua & Sapone's veteran Luca Paolini and Dario Cataldo of Quick Step filled out the top 5 riders after the 185 kilometer race that finished on the Zappolino circuit in Monteveglio the last of the 8 races organized by the Gruppo Sportivo Emilia.

This is the 19th pro win for 27 year old rider from Reinosa, Spain; and his 7th  this year having also won a staged and the general classifications of both Paris Correze and Cinturó de l'Empordà stage races. Ventoso has also won two stages and won the USA Championship race in Philadelphia in 2004 when it was an open race.

Gruppo Sportivo Emilia president,  Adriano Amici prepares to give the riders the signal to start. Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

Adriano Amici. president of the G.S. Emilia organisation got 177 riders started in the final race of season put on by the group.. The race was off to a fast start with Astana's Alexandr Dyachenko, Dries Devenyns (Quick Step), Ermanno Capelli (Fuji Servetto),  Emanuele Sella (Carmiooro/A-Style) and Edwin Carvajal (Miche/Silver Cross) taking the early flier after 25 kilometers.

After an hour of racing the lads had averaged 48 km/h  with the five fugitives leading the first chasers, Ruslan Pidgorny (ISD/Neri) and Esad Hasanovic (Centri della Calzatura) by over three minutes with the peloton led by Liquigas and Lampre almost six minutes back. ISD/Neri's  Pidgorny gave up the chase in the next hour with Hasanovic following his example.

After 76 relatively flat kilometers the five passed through Bazzano approaching the final 8 - 13.8 kilometer local hilly circuits; ISD/Neri was at the head of affairs and had brought the the gap down to 2:40.

A perfect Fall day for the bike race with moderate weather and sunny skies... Team LPR leads the peloton Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

The peloton followed the leaders at 2:50 through the finish line of the first circuit. Our five crusaders had their work cut out for them as the continued to work well together; but the odds were becoming slimmer as they started the second lap of the circuit

with 94 km to go Alexandr Dyachenko, Dries Devenyns, Ermanno Capelli, Emanuele Sella and Edwin Carvajal continued to work well together as they went over the top of the Zappolino losing little ground to the chase following at 2:37.

At the back of the race yesterday's winner of the Giro dell'Emilia, Robert Gesink retired from the race. He wasn't the only one as already the peloton had lost riders and this attrition was sure to continue throughout the final tough laps with ISD stretching the pack out in the chase in support of Giovanni Visconti. Visconti was in a close competition for the six race series championship with Damiano Cunego with only one point difference. Likewise in the teams championship Miche/Silver Cross  led  Lampre/NGC by 4 points and ISD/Neri by 5.

Emmanuelle Sella on the attack.  Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

51 km to go - As the escape went over the top of Zappolino the fourth time the gap was down to 1:18 and closing fast with ISD stretching out the remains of the peloton. By the 5th round the pelton split into three chasing group with the first group composed of Visconti, Gasparotto, Santambrogio, Fisher, Paolini, Ginanni and Impey closing in on the escapees at 25 seconds, a second group at 30 seconds ant the main group of thirty at 45. As they seven chasers closed in, Emmanuelle Sella (Carmiooro/A-Style) attacked the break on a solo attempt.

Luca Paolini leads the attack on the penultimate climb of the Zappolino.
 Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

40 km to go - the chase group caught the break, so we had twelve leaders: Enrico Gasparotto, Santambrogio, Maurilo Fischer, Giovanni Visconti, Luca Paolini, Ginanni, Daryl Impey, Dyachenko, Devenyns, Capelli, Sella and Carvajal with a 15 second gap on 23 riders at 48 seconds and another larger group at 50 seconds with a little over three laps to go. Over the Zappolino Colombian Colombian Carvajal lost his grip on the break, the leaders opened the gap to 28 seconds putting in the fastest lap  averaging over 46 km per hour.

Paolini, Gasparotto and Sella.  Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

Behind 4 Saxo Bank riders led the chase... by the top of the  Zappolino the group was reduced to 8 riders as they continued to defy the odds, Gasparotto, Fischer, Visconti, Paolini, Ginanni, Impey, Dyachenko and Sella. The first chase group followed at 38 seconds. By the start of the penultimate lap with 26 km to go only  three riders remained in the lead, Fischer, Visconti and Paolini with an 18 seconds gap on the chase of about 70 riders.

Alexander Vinokourov attacks on the climb of the Zappolino
Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

15 km to go - the peloton finally swept up the determined outriders. Almost immediately Vinokourov attacked and was joined by Christophe Riblon and Simon Clarke. The trio opened an 18 second gap. The trio opened that to 30 seconds as they approached the final climb of the Zappolino. Behind Saxo Bank drove the front of the chase.

7 km to go - Vino was on his own as he went over the top of the climb with Damiano Cunego leading the charge of the pack of 70 riders, 50 meters off Vinokourov's wheel. Vino flew down the descent but he couldn't gain and inch on the chase as it all came back together three km from the finish and the 70 riders positioned themselves for the final battle for victory.

In the final rush to the line it was Ventoso who had the fastest legs, distancing his rivals by two bike lengths. Remarkably, Giovanni Visconti sprinted to second place in spite of being active in the final breaks with Enrico Rossi a distant third.

Top ten results below
Complete Results and Photos

A very Happy Jose Francisco Ventoso gets his kisses from the podium misses.
Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

2009 Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
185.6 km - 4:12:08 - 45.214 km/h.
1. Francisco Ventoso  (Carmiooro/A-Style)
2. Giovanni Visconti  (Isd-Neri)
3. Enrico Rossi  (Ceramica Flaminia/Bossini Docce)
4. Luca Paolini  (Acqua & Sapone/Caffè Mokambo)
5. Dario Cataldo  (Quick Step)
6. Luca Mazzanti  (Team Katusha)
7. Krzysztof Szczawinski  (Miche/Silver Cross/Selle Italia)
8. Andrea Moletta  (Miche/Silver Cross/Selle Italia)
9. Damiano Cunego (Lampre/Ngc)
10.Daniele Callegarin (Centri della Calzatura)
Complete Results and Photos

2009 GP Bruno Beghelli podium: Giovanni Visconti, Josè Francisco Ventoso and Enrico Rossi  Photo © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti

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