Powless fools them all! American attacks early and holds off the peloton in Gran Piemonte

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?

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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.

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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

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