After departing Bergamo, the peloton set off on a 231 km-long route, which featured the legendary Madonna del Ghisallo, with its gradients of up to 14 percent, the fearsome Muro di Sormano, and the ascents of the Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia in the final 20 km. The race finished on the waterfront in Como with a fast 5km run-in after the last climb. With Maximilian Schachmann and Rafal Majka, BORA – hansgrohe had two riders with a chance to fight it out for a top position. After the first hour of racing, an eleven-man breakaway group led the initial phase of the race, before the pace in the field eventually kicked up with around 70km left, and the remaining escapees were caught. Not long afterwards, the Madonna del Ghisallo ascent caused the peloton to thin out as the race entered its decisive phase. On the climb of the brutal Colma di Sormano, Deuceninck – Quickstep led a group of only 25 riders, including Max Schachmann and Rafal Majka. However, the German champion and his Polish teammate lost contact on the steepest section and were forced to fall back a little. At this point, only a small group of riders was still in the lead as the group headed towards the final 50 km. In the downhill section, Max and Rafal attempted to bridge the gap to the leading group, but ultimately were unable to make up the gap. With a few kilometers to the finish, J. Fuglsang launched a decisive attack to take the win in Como. On the descent of the final climb, Max was hit by a car on the route and hit the deck, however he was able to make it to the finish line in seventh position. The German champion was taken to hospital after the race for further examination.
Results
01 J. Fuglsang 5:32:54
02 G. Bennett +0:31
03 A. Vlasov +0:51
07 M. Schachmann +4:31
From the Finish Line
“The team rode very well today to support our leaders, and fought with the tough conditions, including the hot weather, long and nervous race, and high speeds. The plan was to have Rafa, Max and Patrick up front after the Colma di Sormano. In the end, we were represented there by Rafa and Max in a select group. They took up the chase of the leading group, and they put in a good effort. Unfortunately, 3 km ahead of the finale, a car deviated onto the course and crashed with Max. Even despite the crash, he managed to remount his bike and cross the line in a very respectable seventh place. To crash like this is a huge pity, and we hope that he will be ok. He was showing good form, and has some significant races coming up, such as national championships and the Tour de France. After the race, he went to the hospital for x-rays, and we are now awaiting the results.“ – Jens Zemke, Sports Director
“We performed an initial examination of Max straight after the finish, and we decided that he should undergo further checks. Therefore we are travelling to the hospital, where he will have an x-ray to determine if he sustained any fractures. We will provide further information when we know the results.“ – Jan Petersohn, Team Doctor
