Irish cyclist Nicolas Roche has enjoyed a great ride in a classic edition of the Giro dell'Emilia. Roche was in the thick of it on a very difficult finale, pulling clear in a super strong group of four.
Nicolas Roche on the attack at Giro dell'Emilia
Ireland’s Nicolas Roche has shown his season is not over year with a very strong ride in one of a clutch of year-end Italian classics.
The BMC Racing man proved one of the strongest in the testing finale of the Giro dell'Emilia. He ended the day in 4th place, having pulled clear late with other big names.
However, Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain Merida) had already flown the bunch with a solo attack.
The Italian hit out with just over 16k remaining in the 223km race starting in Bologna in finishing in San Luca with finishing circuits.
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With two laps of the circuit remaining the last of the early breakaway and some chasers were caught.
And after his team had been to the fore, along with Team Sky, Visconti jumped hard. He chose his time perfectly and immediately got a gap.
When he hit the finishing climb the penultimate time he had almost 30 seconds and was looking very strong.
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The chase was frustrated when Esteban Chaves (Orica Scott) crashed. He was leading the pack when his wheels came from under him on a sweeping right hand bend descending.
A number of others behind the Colombian also fell; a spill the dampened the chase at a key moment.
Visconti never built much on that 30 second lead he pulled out quite quickly.
In the final 2km, Gianni Moscon (Team Sky) broke clear marked by the lone leader’s team mate Vincenzo Nibali.
Nicolas Roche and Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac) went after them. However, while those four pulled clear over what was left of the peloton, Visconti was not for catching.
He flew up the climb, glancing behind anxiously several times, to take victory.
Nicolas Roche attacks Giro dell'Emilia
Roche attacked the others behind in a late bid to catch the leader, or even take 2nd place. But he was marked by Nibali, who counter attacked.
That move would split the chasers; Nibali taking 2nd just 11 seconds behind his team mate. Uran was next, rounding out the podium 3 seconds later.
And then came Nicolas Roche in 4th place three seconds the Colombian after an entertaining Giro dell'Emilia. Moscon was 5th, some five seconds down on Roche.
The rest of the peloton had been slimmed to less than 30 riders by the final climb. It split to pieces on that rise to the line.
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