Nairo Quintana won the Giro dell’Emilia this afternoon.
A 193km race from Bologna in Italy to San Luca started with an nineteen man break which was soon shut down, leaving Damiano Caruso (Liquigas-Cannondale), Marco Marzano (Lampre-ISD), Paolo Tiralongo (Astana) and Giairo Ermeti (Androni-Giocattoli) to take over as the escapers.
They had built up a seven minute lead on the Rocca di Roffeno circuit, but by the time they had reached the final 9km finishing circuit which included an arduous San Luca climb, the peloton had swept them up.
Only ten riders were left in it by the final San Luca climb after Team Sky's Thomas Löfkvist had crashed thanks to a damaged chain.
Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago) both attacked but up came the Colombian Quintana and he rode to victory in a time of 4.40.22, some three seconds ahead of Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana), with Franco Pellizotti (Androni Giocattoli) third, a further second back.