We are in the Italian Alps for this year’s National Championship. Barbin is the defending champion, he seems unlikely to repeat. Instead the favorites list is led by two riders coming off great seasons: Cattaneo and Penasa.
At the top of the long initial climb a break of 5 amateurs had been reduced to one. He has a 1’30 lead over a peloton led by Aegon, Lierse and Phillips.
With 13k to go the brave Los Pollos amateur still has 1’12 over the 50 rider peloton as Senni launches the first attack. Conti and Manfredi the most notable riders missing from the peloton.
Senni catches and drops the amateur and as he starts the descent prior to the final climb he has 1’18 over the peloton, which is just cresting the top of the penultimate climb with Cattaneo himself on the front. Conti had made it back to the front group but not Manfredi
On to the final climb and the peloton can see Senni around the hairpin, his lead 1’36 as he reaches the 5k banner. The chase group is down to 29, Conti dropped again but all the other favorites except Manfredi still up front.
3k for Senni, his lead is 1’27. The peloton, led by Wackermann, has just brought the Los Pollos amateur back, only 4k from the end, a brave ride by the youngster, could he be a professional Chicken Brother next year?
1.7k for Senni and his lead still 1’15 as the first attacks come from the chase group. It is Bagioli Fabbro, and Formolo on the move.
1k for Senni he has 1’12 over the 3 attackers and 1’22 over the peloton. His early attack appears to be paying dividends.
500 meters for Senni, the chasers are still out of sight around corner. In the chase, the 3 attackers still have a small lead over the rest.
Senni wins the Italian National Championship with a long-range move, he is still over 1 minute up. None of the top favorites brought strong teams and Senni took advantage of a disorganized chase.
Formolo edges Fabbro for 2nd and Fedeli just misses giving Lierse two on the podium.
Results
1
Manuel Senni
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
1h55'29
2
Davide Formolo
Huski Chocolate
+ 1'14
3
Matteo Fabbro
Air New Zealand
s.t.
4
Alessandro Fedeli
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
s.t.
5
Gianni Moscon
Jura GIANTS
s.t.
6
Francesco Bongiorno
ISA - Hexacta
s.t.
7
Giovanni Carboni
Aegon - Peroni
s.t.
8
Pierre Paolo Penasa
Philips - Force India
s.t.
9
Davide Villella
Isostar - Specialized
s.t.
10
Nicola Conci
Zara - Irizar
s.t.
11
Fausto Masnada
Jura GIANTS
s.t.
12
Davide Ballerini
Aker - MOT
s.t.
13
Stefano Oldani
Polar
s.t.
14
Filippo Ganna
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
15
Mattia Cattaneo
Minions - Subwoolfer
s.t.
16
Nicola Bagioli
Gazelle
s.t.
17
Andrea Bagioli
Team UBS
s.t.
18
Giulio Ciccone
Aegon - Peroni
s.t.
19
Samuele Battistella
HelloFresh - Lampre
s.t.
20
Dario Puccioni
Bordeaux Metropole - Euskotren
s.t.
21
Vincenzo Albanese
cycleYorkshire
s.t.
22
Leonardo Basso
Jura GIANTS
s.t.
23
Luca Wackermann
Bordeaux Metropole - Euskotren
s.t.
24
Alexander Konychev
Aker - MOT
+ 1'50
25
Teodoro Costagli
Air New Zealand
s.t.
26
Alberto Dainese
Aker - MOT
s.t.
27
Mattia Petrucci
Bordeaux Metropole - Euskotren
s.t.
28
Davide Gabburo
Duolingo
+ 2'19
29
Enrico Barbin
Aegon - Peroni
s.t.
30
Giovanni Aleotti
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
+ 2'28
31
Valerio Conti
Huski Chocolate
s.t.
32
Andrea Manfredi
Crabbe-CC Chevigny
s.t.
33
Simone Ponzi
Moser - Sygic
s.t.
34
Alessandro Covi
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
+ 2'46
35
Cesare Di Maggio
Moser - Sygic
s.t.
36
Jonathan Milan
HelloFresh - Lampre
s.t.
37
Fake Rider
Los Pollos Hermanos
+ 4'09
38
Davide Appollonio
Moser - Sygic
+ 4'36
39
Luca Sterbini
Los Pollos Hermanos
+ 5'00
40
Filippo Baroncini
HelloFresh - Lampre
+ 5'07
41
Adrian Malori
Polar
+ 5'13
42
Matteo Sobrero
Trans Looney Tunes
+ 6'07
43
Elia Viviani
cycleYorkshire
+ 7'06
44
Simone Velasco
Philips - Force India
s.t.
45
Riccardo Minali
Philips - Force India
+ 7'32
46
Jakub Mareczko
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
+ 8'00
47
Andrea Dal Col
Tinkoff - La Datcha Team
+ 9'34
48
Niccolo Bonifazio
Lierse SK - Pizza Ullo PCTeam
+ 12'52
Time Trial
Cattaneo couldn’t get the win in the road race, but he has a chance to even things out in the time trial. His big rivals look to be Ganna, Dal Col, Viviani, and Sterbini.
Conci is the first big name on the course and he sets the best time at the 2nd check, 17 seconds ahead of Carboni.
Conci extends that to 1’02 by the end. Viviani is the next top favorite to finish but he won’t be wearing the jersey next year, he is 28 seconds down.
But Conci probably won’t win it either, 4 riders left on the course and they were all ahead of him at the 2nd check. Sterbini is the first of them. He takes the lead by 10 seconds at the finish.
Dal Col finishes next but gives up 10 seconds to Sterbini.
Then it is Cattaneo, maybe he was saving energy in the road race because he is 27 seconds up at the finish of the TT.
Only Ganna left on course. He was 18 seconds down on the Minion at the time check so he needs a great last segment to take the title.
Cattaneo gets the jersey, Ganna loses 14 seconds in the last segment and drops behind Sterbini into 3rd.
Italian National Championships 
