The Italian animated the race from the breakaway.
Ahead of the race’s third weekend, the peloton journeyed over 204 kilometers from Parma to Genoa, a city which first featured at the very first edition of the Corsa Rosa, in 1909, when Giovanni Rossignoli took the victory. The day took in three classified climbs before an undulating final 20 kilometers – a route tailored to a breakaway, which escaped the peloton’s clutches only after 50 fast and intense kilometers that witnessed numerous breakaway attempts.
Once again, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl was in the thick of the action, this time with Davide Ballerini. The 2021 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner was a prominent figure in the 25-man group, helping it extend the gap on the bunch to more than eight minutes after the first classified climb of the stage. Then, as the escapees stopped working together and instead focusing on solo actions, the Italian was quick to react to a three-man group that zipped clear with around 60 kilometers to go.
At one point, only 16 seconds separated him from the leaders, but as soon as the road went up again, the gap went out and Ballerini was reeled in by the rest of the breakaway, who continued their pursuit on the Valco di Trensasco. It was on its slopes that Davide lost contact with the group, paying for his previous efforts, before concluding a couple of minutes behind Stefano Oldani (Alpecin-Fenix), who took the win from a reduced sprint. The peloton, which included the likes of Mauro Schmid and Mauri Vansevenant, finished nine minutes behind the escapees.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
