Egan Bernal produced a strong and gutsy ride to claim fourth place at the Giro dell’Emilia.
The Colombian champion dug deep during the Italian one-day showpiece, growing stronger as the laps of the San Luca finishing circuit wore on.
Bernal crossed the line on the wheel of third placed Lenny Martinez (Bahrain – Victorious), five seconds behind winner Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates – XRG) and runner-up Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Cycling).
Bernal was joined in a dwindling lead group by Thymen Arensman as the undulating laps were ticked off, however the Dutchman would be distanced with around 20km to go. Bernal held on well, weathering the storm of a number of accelerations before finishing strongly.
After the race Bernal said: “I’m happy, I lacked a bit of strength, but it’s beautiful to be up there with these great riders. I think any result like this at the end of the season is good.
“Today has been raced hard and fast, especially the first part with those flat and broken roads. You can struggle to pick up the pace there with that 'washing machine' effect.
“It’s a very beautiful race, one of my favourites, and I’m happy with the result.”
Saturday also saw the penultimate stage of the CRO Race take place.
There was no joy in the sprint for Ben Turner, but with one stage to go, Michal Kwiatkowski and Magnus Sheffield finished safely in the bunch to remain third and fifth overall respectively.