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00:00This is Castellamonte, just outside of Turin.
00:15A lot of satellite towns around here, of course, have their origins in much older things.
00:22I just had a little update on the breeze there, Rob, up and over the roundabout for Betiol.
00:35He's riding into a very slight headwind breeze, just under five kilometres an hour, the breeze, but it is straight into his face at the moment.
00:45But he's made the right choices as far as aerodynamics go, getting yourself in a solo break.
00:49It's almost a time trial helmet, isn't it?
00:53Yeah.
00:54Big visor down the front there.
00:56I know it's not one of the big spaceship ones like we've been seeing in the last couple of weeks.
00:59Oh, well.
01:01That's another kettle of fish.
01:02In fact, it could be a kettle of fish.
01:07And one that might be banned soon as well.
01:09Yeah, yeah, precisely.
01:13We shall see.
01:15I won't be sad.
01:16I certainly give us all something to talk about.
01:20I feel for the developers and everything.
01:27Here she.
01:28Yeah, here she with a hand injury.
01:30You see the blood between his fingers.
01:34Oh, dear, dear, dear.
01:35It's worse than that.
01:36I'm just looking down to see if there's any further marks on his clothes, because is that
01:45a nose bleed or is that a proper injury?
01:48Yeah, it looks like a blood nose really dripping off your nose.
01:51He's sniffing quite a lot and trying to clear himself a little bit.
01:56So it does look like it's just your garden variety blood nose.
02:00It can happen.
02:02It's still extremely unpleasant.
02:03The best of times when you're not trying to win a bike race, Robbie.
02:05I've seen it a couple of times over the past year or so.
02:11Quite often the really dry conditions, that very dry mountain air can get to you.
02:15And when it goes, it goes.
02:19Well, Youngles wants more at the front for Borahansgrohe.
02:23Well, here she's trying to deal with his own ailment towards the back.
02:26And he's got to stay in the wheels with 9Ks to go.
02:28And the gap now coming down to 15 seconds.
02:33It's going to be touch and go for Alberto Betio.
02:41The kilometers are down to single digits now.
02:43But Alberto Betio is starting to lose time.
02:47And may well soon be in single digits as far as that's concerned as well.
02:51They can see him up the road, which always helps.
02:54And they're on their way to today's Finnish town in Salasso.
02:57You're watching the 105th edition of the oldest classic in the world.
03:01First ridden in 1876.
03:04Eight riders, thought it was a bit of a joke at the time,
03:07racing each other from Milanda Turin.
03:10Today, well, we've got 18 teams doing that.
03:12And some of the best bike riders in the world.
03:15A selection over two climbs that we've just had.
03:17Borahansgrohe making the selection with four of their riders.
03:21And they have the numbers to try and chase the escapee.
03:24The man who attacks with frightening force.
03:28Alberto Betio, the former winner of the Tour of Flanders at a stage at the Giro d'Italia.
03:32Whatever happens going in forward, he looks like he's in mighty form
03:36and is one to watch over the spring classic season.
03:39Well, is it going to be a first spring classic win of this season for him right here?
03:4314 seconds, 7.9 k's to go.
03:46This is a good watch, Robbie McKeown.
03:49It's a really good watch.
03:50It's a super battle between Betio and this chasing group led by Borahansgrohe.
03:55The question is with Borahansgrohe, who are they actually riding for?
03:59Who do they believe packs enough of a sprint to bring this to a good end for their team?
04:04But they are starting to peg Betio back.
04:06And he's got about another two and a half kilometres on this direction or in this direction into this headwind breeze.
04:13Once he gets about 5 k to go, the road starts to swing around to the right.
04:17That little breeze, what there is, will be just pushing in from the left-hand side.
04:21They'll be a little bit better for Betio, the man on his own.
04:23But this group is very organised.
04:25But so many passengers in the wheels there.
04:28There's three Borahansgrohe riders on the front.
04:31Then it's Nick Schultz and the UAE riders Ulissi and Mark Hirschi just sitting at the back of the group.
04:36There's Betio in the distance, hitting the roundabout.
04:38But our 19-year-old Emil Herzog is in there.
04:45He's already done, you know, a recon of Roubaix and Flanders with Heinrich Haussler.
04:51They have their eyes on him as a classic star in the making.
04:57You just wonder how he is and if he's going to get the chance.
05:00At the minute, it is Bob Youngles riding at the front.
05:03So it won't be for the former Liege, Bastogne-Liege winner.
05:06And Emil Herzog in that particular group.
05:13You just wonder whether he's going to be given his opportunity.
05:16Last race at opening weekend, of course, he's only been a professional a few weeks.
05:20No wins yet, but he certainly could have a chance here.
05:2419 from Simmerberg in Germany.
05:27Well, I have a feeling that if he were to win today, there could be some history, mate.
05:39Well, it's getting to that point, Rob, where Alberto Bertiol is almost going to have to make the decision himself.
05:45Can I hold them off for another six kilometres, nine-second gap?
05:49Or do I let myself get caught, have a breather, hope everything stays together, and see if I can recover just enough to be the best in the sprint?
06:00Because if you just looked at who's in that group, their sprint qualities, Bertiol is way quicker than all the rest.
06:08But this will really have put a dent in his powers.
06:12I think he's so stubborn, he wants to just stay out there.
06:16I think he's going to, it's all or it's nothing.
06:18I admire his style, often aiming for the spectacular.
06:27Whether it's the most prudent decision, we will see.
06:31Eight seconds now, five kilometres to go.
06:34And young Emil Herzog, well, if he were to pull something spectacular off here, there he is, wearing 33.
06:40Just sitting a little further down the line from the rest of his team who are working.
06:43He wouldn't be the youngest ever winner of this great race, but he'd be the second youngest.
06:49Amazingly, Giovanni Gerbi, who's actually the first winner of the Tour of Lombardy, back in 1903, won this race at the age of just under 18.
06:59He was still 17 when he was the victor.
07:02Still would be, in this modern era, a wonderful, wonderful achievement.
07:08Bertiol still there, though, and they've got to catch him.
07:10Eight seconds, four and a half kilometres to go.
07:12He is riding his heart out here.
07:21We are watching a really exciting finish to a race with so much history.
07:26104 previous editions and over 150 years of history.
07:34Eight seconds for Alberto Bertiol at Milano-Torino.
07:37UAE Emirates, who ignited the party by attacking on the first of the two climbs in our latest new loop of a finish that changes every year at the moment in its current format, are sitting there with three riders at the back.
07:50Here she is with Ulissi.
07:53Also there is Jan Christen.
07:54But it's Bora Hansgrohe doing the majority of the chasing, who have their young man, classic star in the making, Emil Herzog of Germany, sitting in.
08:02But they've still not caught Bertiol, and he's got two more seconds back.
08:07He's 3.8 kilometres from the line now, and he is doing his real level best to try and hold off this group of riders.
08:14And with three kilometres to go, he takes a 90-degree right-hand turn, which is going to bring him on to the final straight.
08:22It is straight all the way, but with that little tailwind breeze.
08:25So as he turns, whatever wind there is, five, six kilometres an hour will be at his back.
08:30That is an enormous help.
08:31And this seems to be stalling here in the group.
08:34Now he's gone away by another second.
08:35Well, Lipovic, one of the riders from Bora Hansgrohe, has just dropped out the line.
08:41And this now is Jungels, 37 Vandil, is just dropping back now.
08:45Is that him dropping out, or is he going back to try and plot something with Herzog?
08:50At the minute, it's Jungels.
08:52He's being followed now by Nick Schultz of Australia, who, of course, is a climber.
08:57And 3.3 k's to the finish.
09:00We still have our sole leader, who's doing a great job here.
09:06Well, that's Bob Jungels gone through, the next man to try and close this gap.
09:11Because his teammate, Wandaal, would be doing plenty of riding on the front,
09:15and got to the point where he just couldn't close it anymore.
09:17It started to go in the opposite direction.
09:19And Betiel now still hanging on to nine seconds with three kilometres to go.
09:25That was Lipovic, who's just going to sit to the back.
09:27Nine seconds, as you mentioned, inside those final 3 k's.
09:31And Betiel continues to blast away.
09:35They've got him on the road.
09:37And now then, watch out.
09:39Because Jungels just pulls away, looks around.
09:41Is anybody else going to go, or are we going to get a counterattack?
09:44This is advantage Betiel right here, unless the move, and a big one goes now.
09:49Here it is, and here goes that move, Rubio, and it's going to be followed as well, straight away, by Alexey Lutsenko.
10:02And now Wandaal follows.
10:06Borohansko is sending a man up there.
10:10Marcellus, he tries to get involved.
10:11The games have begun, but are they strong enough?
10:14Are they big enough?
10:15Lutsenko is looking good here.
10:17He powers away.
10:18Wandaal is trying to follow.
10:19Rubio is going to struggle.
10:20He can't hold the wheel right now.
10:22Flick of the elbow there from Lutsenko.
10:29Another kilometer ticks by, and it's the 2k to go arch that's about to be passed now by this man, the leader, the attacker,
10:38who's on his way to something special if he can hold on, Alberto Betiel.
10:42Well, the more of this, the better for Betiel.
10:47Little corners, technical sections, take the oomph out of the chase behind, still led, in fact, now by UAE Emirates, Lutsenko has dropped back.
10:58So they're all starting to just feather it, look at each other, try and get the advantage, see if someone else will do the work for them.
11:031.7 to go.
11:05Nobody wants to use up all their energy, just get beaten in a sprint.
11:08So this is a good thing for Alberto Betiel.
11:10Now back out to seven seconds.
11:12He's pinched another second back.
11:14One and a half kilometers to line.
11:16He grits his teeth.
11:17The effort face is very clearly there at EF Education Easy Post, whose last couple of wins came in Latin America,
11:26are looking to get win number two in Europe for their season.
11:29He's looking good here.
11:30They look at each other behind.
11:31They hesitate too much.
11:33This now is increasingly like Betiel's race to lose.
11:36Yeah, he's just increased the gap by another second.
11:39And every time they swing across the road, he just edges away another few bike lengths, another few meters.
11:44They can still see him so tantalizingly close.
11:47I said before, he's too stubborn.
11:49He's also too proud.
11:50And he looks also too strong.
11:51Another move now coming from UAE Emirates.
11:54Another move by Christen.
11:57Jan Christen, who's been so active in the races, he's been having a good go at this year.
12:01And look at that, though.
12:02That's a big dart out from the bunch.
12:04And it could be the final threat on the road here to Betiel, who's been brilliant.
12:08Jan Christen is absolutely flying.
12:11Rubio again goes after him.
12:13He goes under the kilometre to Goerbanna.
12:15And still further up the road, around the corner, riding away at the minute, is Betiel.
12:19But for how long?
12:20There he goes through that chicane.
12:22It's Christen behind.
12:24And it is Schultz who's now in the chase.
12:26A couple of riders from Borahans go struggling and straggling off the back.
12:30And it is still with 500 metres to go.
12:32Betiel.
12:33He's not done until he's done, though.
12:35And it's the last-minute attacks that are being put in to try and break the resistance and catch him right at the death.
12:41But it's almost four hours of racing.
12:43One more move is going to come from behind as Betiel sees home just ahead.
12:48Is it going to be his day?
12:50It looks increasingly like that'll be the case.
12:53250 metres to the line for EF Education Easy Post to pull things off.
12:58He attacked on the first to the last two climbs with over 20 kilometres to go.
13:04And Alberto Betiol has done it.
13:08Betiol bags another big one.
13:11A winner already of the Tour of Flanders.
13:14He's won at the Giro.
13:15And he's now has the oldest race in the world on this Palmares.
13:20Second place in the end, going to Jan Christen.
13:23And it's a sprint for third behind.
13:25All the glory, all the delight to Alberto Betiol, who had a plan and who has executed it to perfection, Robbie.
13:35Well, perfection.
13:38He just monstered them.
13:41That is just a win on pure force and guts and persistence.
13:46Betiol, that attack that he made on the second last climb, it looked like he was sprinting for a king of the mountains.
13:51And that was good.
13:52He put his own finish line there.
13:54Such was the acceleration that he made.
13:57But once he got over the top and went out to 40 seconds, into time trial mode, just no stopping him.
14:03That was phenomenal.
14:05It's Betiol, Christen.
14:07And the sprint behind, well, they come across in bits and bobs.
14:17Yeah, battling it out for probably the back end of the top 20.
14:20Alexander Christoph just in front of Arnaud Demare.
14:23And he's done it.
14:28What a way to begin a very big week for EF Education Easy Post.
14:38Italian win as well.
14:40That's delighted everybody behind the podium.
14:43But they had a, apart from Jonathan Milan, they had a pretty lean time of it in Tirreno Adriatico.
14:50In fact, I think Betiol was the best Italian finisher on GC at Tirreno.
14:55And that was, by their standards, that was a low Italian finish on GC.
15:00But this is a big pep up, especially in the lead up to Milano San Remo.
15:04And the way in which Betiol won this, with that blistering attack on that climb,
15:09well, La Gazzetta dello Sport will be having a field day over the next couple of days.
15:14There'll be headlines, there'll be speculation about how Betiol is going to win Milano San Remo.
15:19No pressure, Alberto.
15:21No soon as he finished one job, he's expected to do another.
15:24This was the start of the job he did excellently.
15:28Look at that for a burst out from the bunch.
15:30It was powerful, forceful, explosive, and it did the job.
15:34Just a fifth win of his career, but a very big one.
15:41And when he does win, he wins big.
15:44You know about this not being a World Tour race, but it had all the history,
15:48and it's now on his own roll of honour.
15:49Well, he came dressed for the occasion too, didn't he, Rob?
15:55The skin suit, all the aero bits and bobs, including the helmet, and they did the job.
16:03So did he.
16:03It's becoming a bit of a team trademark at the minute, isn't it?
16:07Getting ready each and every rider with the right aero gear and the long-range attack.
16:14Alberto Betiol beating Jan Christen and Mark Hirschi, with Diego Lisi finishing fourth.
16:19UAE managing every place in the top four apart from first.
16:22We're Marksworth, Brambilla, Herzog, Macielusi, Schultz, and Wondale.
16:27But it all goes to Betio.
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