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Powless fools them all! American attacks early and holds off the peloton in Gran Piemonte
CyclingThursday, 10 October 2024 at 11:43
Neilson Powless claimed victory in the Gran Piemonte in an absolutely thrilling fashion. The EF Education-EasyPost rider launched an attack in the race’s pre-finale, pulling off a brilliant solo effort of over forty kilometers. The weather in Italy cleared up slightly, and the riders turned it into an exciting and tough race, providing a spectacle in the penultimate Italian autumn classic. Corbin Strong took second in the sprint, with Alex Aranburu finishing third.
It wasn't an extremely challenging course, but it was grueling, featuring a long climb (Passo della Colma, 8.6 km at 5.5%) in the middle. A tough race meant it was definitely not preferred terrain for sprinters, but if well-controlled, there was certainly a chance for the fast guys. So, it was a matter of waiting to see how the race would unfold. Would the climbers try something on the Colma, or was the race too calm?
Read more below the tweet!
Harmless breakaway soon becomes target for climbers
Early on, a quartet consisting of Andrii Ponomar, Nickolas Zukowsky, Francisco Munoz and Luca Colnaghi broke away. This group, not seen as a threat, was given a lead of up to six minutes by the peloton. The first half of the route had no significant obstacles, so the focus was on reaching the base of the Colma, about seventy kilometers from the finish.
At this point, the breakaway’s lead started to shrink rapidly. On the climb, the race began in earnest, with Kaden Groves struggling as the first sprinter to drop back. Zukowsky and Munoz were left alone at the front with a minimal advantage of about a minute at the top. Behind them, Lidl-Trek tried to make the race even harder, led by Giulio Ciccone, which effectively reduced the main group considerably.
Power trio leads selective phase, Powless launches a solo attempt
In the descent, three riders broke away: Ciccone took Matej Mohoric and Neilson Powless with him, and they pushed hard, nearly catching the breakaway. After about five kilometers, other notable riders joined them, including Tom Pidcock, Nick Schultz, Alessandro De Marchi and Romain Bardet. The focus was now on the last two climbs of the day, where more attacks could be launched. At 45 kilometers from the finish, the last breakaway riders were caught by this group of sixteen.
Powless attacked on the first climb, gaining a twenty-second lead as the others hesitated. Without an organized chase behind him, his lead stretched to forty seconds by the short climb to Traversagna (three kilometers at four percent). Israel-Premier Tech, with numerical strength, tried to close the gap for Corbin Strong. More riders caught up on the easier stretch, forming a mini-peloton of about forty riders.
Read more below the photo.
A brave Powless saw the chase start to close in on him, reducing his lead to twenty seconds, but he found a new surge of energy and increased it back to 37 seconds as he entered the final lap. From there, he had just over eleven kilometers to the finish. Lidl-Trek's Julien Bernard and Sam Oomen crashed in the chase, creating a chaotic scene.
Powless kept grinding, holding his lead on the last small uphill section with seven kilometers remaining. His gap started to shrink on the incline. Could he hold on in the finale? INEOS Grenadiers, with Thymen Arensman, tried to help close the gap. However, the chase group wasn't strong enough to reel him back in. A solo victory for the American! And he was absolutely thrilled.
Results Gran Piemonte 2024
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024