©Pool Luca Bettini

Coppa Bernocchi: Play it like Remco

Belgian Remco Evenepoel outclassed the competition at the Coppa Bernocchi. After a long solo raid, the rider from Deceuninck Quick Step not only managed to overtake riders on the final circuit, but he won with a huge margin of 1’49 ” over Alessandro Covi and his teammate Fausto Masnada. Badly injured last year following a crash at Il Lombardia, Evenepoel clinched his eighth win of the season in Italy.

The results: 1. Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck Quick Step); 2. Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates); 3. Fausto Masnada (Deceuninck Quick Step)

*****

100 Tre Valli Varesine: De Marchi is eternal

At 35, Alessandro De Marchi is enjoying a good season. Having led the Giro d’Italia for two days in May, the veteran Italian took the 6th victory of his career by winning the 100 Tre Valli Varesine. He had not won a race since 2018 when he took the Giro Dell’Emilia. This week in Varese, the rider from the Israel Start-Up Nation team beat Davide Formolo in the sprint. The two-time winner of the Tour, Tadej Pogacar completed the podium. 

The results: 1. Alessandro De Marchi (Israël Start-Up Nation); 2. Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates); 3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)

*****

Milano-Torino: Roglic is the boss

A few days after the Giro Dell’Emilia, Primoz Roglic secured the 60th victory of his career, dominating Milano-Torino finishing at the top of the Superga, which overlooks the city of Turin. The three-time Vuelta winner broke away at the end of the race to finish handily ahead of Briton Adam Yates and Portuguese Joao Almeida.

The results: 1. Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo Visma); 2. Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers); 3. Joao Almeida (Deceuninck Quick Step)

***** 

Gran Piemonte: Walls as the fastest

Already the winner of the last stage at the Tour of Norway in August, Briton Matthew Walls posted the second victory of his career by winning the classic Gran Piemonte. At 23, he put in a great performance, beating former European champion Giacomo Nizzolo and Dutchman Olav Kooij in the sprint.

The results: 1. Matthew Walls (Bora Hansgrohe); 2. Giacomo Nizzolo (Team Qhuebka NextHash); 3. Olav Kooij (Team Jumbo Visma)

*****

Paris-Bourges: Super strong Meeus

Winner of a stage at the Tour de Hongrie in May, the Belgian Jordi Meeus ended the season well. At 23, the rider from Bora Honsgrohe enjoyed the luxury of beating the triple French Champion, Arnaud Démare and the Italian Niccolo Bonifazio, two of the fastest riders in the peloton. 

The results: 1. Jordi Meeus (Bora Hansgrohe); 2. Arnaud Démare (Groupama FDJ); Niccolo Bonifazio (Team Total Energies)

*****

Il Lombardia: Pogacar extends his domination

What a season for Tadej Pogacar! After Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April, the Slovenian added a second Monument to his list by dominating Il Lombardia. This year, the young rider succeeded in winning the UAE Tour, Tirreno Adriatico, three stages of the Tour de France on his way to a second consecutive victory in the Tour de France, which is already not nothing!

“My form fluctuated over the second half of the season. But today I had really good legs! It’s amazing to win here, which is a race that I have dreamed of winning.” At 23, Pogacar seems to be making more cycling history every day.

The results: 1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) ; 2. Fausto Masnada (Deceuninck Quick-Step) ; 3. Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers)

*****

Paris-Tours Elite: Démare takes a breath

Arnaud Démare has said it often in the press: he was not as successful as he had hoped to be this year. But at the end of a breathless final, the Groupama FDJ rider picked up a fine victory on the Avenue de Grammont to win an exciting edition of Paris-Tours for the first time in his career. Having been forced to strike out a long way from the finish to hunt down the two remaining breakaway riders, he beat his compatriot Franck Bonnamour and the Belgian Jasper Stuyven, winner of Milan Sam-Remo, in a nail-biting sprint finish.

The results: 1. Arnaud Démare (Groupama FDJ) ; 2. Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels p/b KTM) ; 3. Jasper Stuyven (Trek Segafredo)

*****

Races to come

Grand Prix du Morbihan (Fra), 16/10, www.gpmo.bzh

Chrono des Nations (Fra), 17/10, www.chronodesnations.com