Piganzoli wins thrilling edition of Giro dell'Emilia with late surge

Davide Piganzoli (Visma | Lease a Bike) won the Giro dell'Emilia, attacking from the group of favourites with 4.8 kilometres remaining and holding three seconds at the line after 197.9 kilometres from Ferrara to Bologna.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) was second and Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos) third. Ben Healy, Matteo Jorgenson and Ben Tulett followed at eleven seconds, with Adam Yates and Lorenzo Fortunato at fourteen.

Brandon McNulty, racing in the rainbow jersey for the first time since winning the world title in Montréal six days earlier, finished in a second chase group at 29 seconds after a combative performance alongside Thymen Arensman, Lorenzo Finn and Michael Storer.

Eight riders formed the day's move: Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Lidl-Trek), Ådne Holter (Uno-X Mobility), Manuele Tarozzi (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber), Ben Granger and Tommaso Nencini (both Tudor), Diego Pablo Sevilla (Team Polti VisitMalta) and Kevin Pezzo Rosola and Andrii Ponomar (both General Store).

Their lead peaked at 2:20 before Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Pinarello Q36.5 took up the chase. The opening hour was ridden at 50.2km/h.

Pello Bilbao, in his final season, attacked from a secondary group with 37 kilometres remaining alongside Luke Plapp, Quentin Pacher, Andrew August, Juan Felipe Rodriguez and Marcel Camprubí. The move was caught on the circuit.

McNulty attacked with 19 kilometres to go and was brought back. Jorgenson countered immediately, and Visma kept three riders in the group of favourites while UAE had the same through McNulty, Yates and Jhonatan Narváez.

Narváez and Lenny Martinez were dropped with eleven kilometres left, Bilbao a kilometre later. Jorgenson opened a small gap at ten kilometres and Healy accelerated at 9.9.

Pidcock set off after him at nine kilometres and spent the rest of the race chasing. He closed on the final climb without ever getting across, and when Piganzoli went over the top and attacked on the descent the Briton went after him again. 

He was still pulling the group along inside the last kilometre, taking Yates, Tulett and Fortunato back up to the front in the process, but the gap never came down far enough.

Piganzoli held on to win by three seconds.