The young Italian was seventh at his debut in the Spanish race.
For the fifth year in a row, Sant Feliu de Guixols hosted the opening stage of the race. The finish was identical to the one of last year, but the course until then was a bit different, after the organisers decided to include a first-category climb in the first 80 kilometers.
Five riders formed a breakaway after just 15 kilometers, and the quintet worked well together. Ahead of the Al de Sant Hilari Sacalm ascent, the escapees inched out their advantage to four minutes, but that gap rapidly came down, as the teams interested in the stage victory upped the pace in the peloton. The catch was eventually made with 11 kilometers to go, giving the contenders and their squads plenty of time to prepare for the uphill finish in Sant Feliu de Guixols.
The last 600 meters averaged 4.2%, but just before the line the gradient hit 6%, making timing and positioning crucial. As the stretched-out peloton rounded out the final corner, Andrea Raccagni made sure of slotting himself near the front of the group, and in the closing 300 meters once again showed his strong sprint. The 22-year-old Italian took seventh on the line, a result that puts him in the top ten overall and in third on the youth classification.
Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
