00:01The oldest bike race in the world celebrates its 150th anniversary, one of the most prestigious
00:07races on the calendar, Milano Torino. 174km with 1400m of elevation taking the riders
00:15to the mighty iconic basilica at the top of Superga. 21 teams, a total of 145 riders taking
00:23on this mid-week race under blue skies and sun, with four national champions in presence.
00:31The flag was dropped for the neutralised section, with thousands of fans coming out to support
00:36the riders and teams. Through kilometre zero and the race was officially underway, with plenty
00:43of teams moving themselves up towards the front. It was a fast beginning to the race, average
00:49speeds in the first hour at 51.7km per hour. It took a long while for the breakaway to establish.
00:55That was until six riders forged their gap and quickly got to work.
01:01The gap was falling drastically to the six riders out front, as the peloton upped their
01:06speed as the key contenders were piloted into position, ahead of the first ascent of Superga.
01:13Valentin Ferron leading the breakaway into the left-hand corner, into the base of the climb.
01:20One by one, the riders in the breakaway started to get distanced. Andrea Pietrobon looking incredibly
01:26strong, with Ferron in the wheel and Mare just losing distance.
01:31XDS Ostano were put to work by Alberto Betiol, former winner of the race, looking after his
01:36leader, Lorenzo Fortunato. Then it was the time and turn of Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe to set
01:42the tempo in the peloton.
01:50At K 152.5, the peloton manches up, all together again.
01:59Primoz Roglic dancing on the pedals, taking a look over his left-hand shoulder, making it
02:04look easy, leaving his rivals behind, but causing and forcing a split.
02:12Twelve riders were in the front of the race. With 11.8km to go, it was Adrien Bourchy who
02:18chipped off the front. A brilliant bit of teamwork from Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe.
02:25The gap to Adrien Bourchy, the Frenchman of Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe, grew to 20 seconds,
02:30but five kilometres to go and the Frenchman was losing time.
02:36The group swelled. A group came back together, perfect for Tobias Hallen-Johannesson of UNOX
02:42Mobility.
02:49Adrien Bourchy was caught and it was all back together. Movistar with strength in numbers
02:53with Nathanael Tesfasdion setting the pace for his leader, Kian Otterbrooks, on his return
02:59to racing after fracturing his elbow in his first race of the season in February.
03:11Tesfasdion was setting things up for Kian Otterbrooks, who, with 1.7km to go, started
03:17to stretch things out and create an attack. Jefferson Cipeda and Pink managing to go with
03:22him, as did Tom Pidcock.
03:29Four riders started to move clear. Primoz Roglic, Tom Pidcock, Hallen-Johannesson and Cipeda
03:35in pink. But coming back was Otterbrooks, making it a five rider. Move with one kilometre remaining.
03:45Primoz Roglic testing the waters, trying to go clear. But it was the British rider from
03:51Yorkshire. Tom Pidcock, who started to move clear. Rounding the final left-hand corner,
04:00Tobias Hallen-Johannesson was trying to close the gap to the Brit, but the rider from Pinarello
04:04Q36.5 started to move clear. Accelerating, clicking through the gears, he started to leave
04:11his rivals behind. Into the barriers, it was another big explosion, an acceleration and
04:18Pidcock had gone clear.
04:20And takes a historic win in the shadow of the Basilica. It suited him and he delivered
04:27a victory of the first, first order. Tom Pidcock conquers Milano Torino. Johanesson won better
04:35than last year in second place and Primoz Roglic also on the podium. Tom Pidcock wins on debut
04:42at Milano Torino and becomes only the second British rider to win the oldest race in the
04:47world. Pidcock wins the race ahead of Tobias Hallen-Johannesson, Primoz Roglic in third with
04:53Palazzari of Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe in fourth.
05:07Tom, you have modified your race programme for winning here. How does it feel to be right?
05:13Well, yeah, good. Yeah, it was a weird day. It felt like the first race of the season almost.
05:20Just a bit of, yeah, the race rhythm and, yeah, all the accelerations all day. It felt a bit heavy
05:31-legged.
05:31But, yeah, luckily in the end I had a kick there and, yeah, could hold them off.
05:38How did you evaluate the strength of your opponents in the last climb?
05:43Yeah, I mean, Primoz is hard to read. He's always in the saddle, so I think, yeah, I was expecting
05:50him to be good there and now I was hesitating to attack near the end. Everyone was looking
05:56pretty strong, but, yeah, I knew at one point I had to go, so, yeah.
06:03How important is it for you to have a beautiful win at this time of the season?
06:08Yeah, I think it's, yeah, a win's a win. They're not easy to come by, so, of course, it's nice
06:14to get your hands in the air. Thank you very much.
06:18Tobias, third last year, second today. Will you come back?
06:24Yeah, for sure. I think it's one of the nicest races of the season. I really enjoy this climb,
06:30but, yeah, Tom went at the perfect moment and I couldn't catch him, so, uh, I really want
06:36to come back and try to win it. That's for sure.
06:39Tell us more about his acceleration.
06:41No, he went, uh, at the perfect moment into the, into the corner in the last, I think,
06:46700 meters, and then he just kept on going, so I just couldn't, uh, like, close the, the
06:52five, ten meters in the beginning, and, um, yeah, in the end, uh, I think it was more, I
06:57had to think more about the second place than trying to catch Tom, so he, he did a good race,
07:01so, um, yeah, chapeau to him. Why is this one of the nicest races of the season in your mind?
07:06No, I think, uh, just the nature of the climb, it's super steep, and it makes for a really
07:11nice racing, so, uh, yeah, when it's, uh, on this climb, I've seen it on television a lot
07:17of times, and, yeah, just, uh, suits me well, and then I'm happy.
07:21Then you're welcome back.
07:22Yeah, for sure.
07:23Thank you very much.
07:24Thank you.
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