Egan Bernal led home the Grenadiers with a top-10 finish at Gran Piemonte.
The Colombian rider finished in ninth place, sprinting from the chasing bunch in Acqui Terme.
Victor Langellotti wasted no time, attacking as soon as the flag was dropped for the start of 179km race. The six-man break established a two minute gap, but Langellotti was reeled back in with 55km remaining.
As the riders hit the third punchy climb of the day, three riders from the break still had a minute and 30 second lead over the peloton, while Filippo Ganna and Egan Bernal led the peloton chase.
Inside the final 50km, accelerations came from the peloton, with Ganna quick to chase down any efforts. While a group of six escaped after the three-man break, Ganna and Bernal continued to chase from a depleting peloton as the riders entered the finishing circuit for the first time.
Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates - XRG) eventually took the win in Acqui Terme after a solo attack, with Bernal sprinting from the chasing peloton to take ninth.