10 Oct 2019
Bernal and Sosa take Gran Piemonte 1-2
Related riders
Egan Bernal
Ivan Sosa
Gran Piemonte, 183km
Egan Bernal led home a Team INEOS 1-2 following an emphatic performance at Gran Piemonte.
Joined on the podium by fellow Colombian Ivan Sosa, Bernal launched his attack in the final kilometre and a half of the climb to Santuario di Oropa.
A stinging turn on the steep slopes from Sosa saw an elite lead group fracture, with the INEOS pair driving clear briefly before Bernal rode awayto victory.
Sosa was able to regroup and win the sprint for second, six seconds back on his teammate, to cap a superb day-long performance.
Joined on the podium by fellow Colombian Ivan Sosa, Bernal launched his attack in the final kilometre and a half of the climb to Santuario di Oropa.
A stinging turn on the steep slopes from Sosa saw an elite lead group fracture, with the INEOS pair driving clear briefly before Bernal rode awayto victory.
Sosa was able to regroup and win the sprint for second, six seconds back on his teammate, to cap a superb day-long performance.
The entire team worked tirelessly across the 183 kilometres, with Filippo Ganna working hard on the flat to keep the day’s six-man break in check. The team then took it up on the penultimate Nelva climb, with Jonathan Castroviejo and Salvatore Puccio combining. Diego Rosa then kicked on with 5km to go, ensuring the pace remained high, discouraging a number of attacks.
Egan Bernal
"Sosa did a really, really good job. I won the race but he was almost stronger than me."
Reaction
- Egan Bernal
"I’m really happy. This morning when I woke up I was thinking about doing a good race, but to win is always difficult. I’m really happy because it’s my first win in Italy. I’ve been doing a lot of races here and it’s my first success in Piemonte. It’s the region in which I was living for two years, so it’s really special to win here.
"I was feeling really good during the race. I asked the guys to do a good tempo. Sosa did a really, really good job. I won the race but I think Sosa was almost stronger than me. In the final I saw that there were two of us, I tried to go full gas until the finish. Sosa also did a really good job and he’s shown that he is one of the strongest in the peloton on the climbs."
- Egan Bernal
"I’m really happy. This morning when I woke up I was thinking about doing a good race, but to win is always difficult. I’m really happy because it’s my first win in Italy. I’ve been doing a lot of races here and it’s my first success in Piemonte. It’s the region in which I was living for two years, so it’s really special to win here.
"I was feeling really good during the race. I asked the guys to do a good tempo. Sosa did a really, really good job. I won the race but I think Sosa was almost stronger than me. In the final I saw that there were two of us, I tried to go full gas until the finish. Sosa also did a really good job and he’s shown that he is one of the strongest in the peloton on the climbs."
Castroviejo set a blistering pace up the penultimate climb
Final result:
1. Egan Bernal (Team INEOS) 4:24:16
2. Ivan Sosa (Team INEOS) +6"
3. Nans Peters (Ag2r-La Mondiale) +8"
4. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) +10"
5. Dan Martin (UAE-Team Emirates) +11"
1. Egan Bernal (Team INEOS) 4:24:16
2. Ivan Sosa (Team INEOS) +6"
3. Nans Peters (Ag2r-La Mondiale) +8"
4. Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) +10"
5. Dan Martin (UAE-Team Emirates) +11"
