Remco Evenepoel solos to victory at Italian one-day Coppa Bernocchi

The Belgian is currently building up for a return to Saturday's Il Lombardia

Remco Evenepoel
(Image credit: Getty)

Remco Evenepoel has recorded yet another solo victory in his young career, this time at the Italian one-day Coppa Bernocchi.

The Belgian made it into the day's move alongside Deceuninck - Quick-Step team-mate Fausto Masnada, Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), Samuele Battistella (Astana - Premier Tech), Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates) and Antonio Puppio (Qhubeka-Assos) with more than 120km to go, Marc Soler and Nick Schultz making an attempt to bridge across.

With 50km to go their advantage was up to above the four-minute mark as heavy rain fell on the road, Movistar and Ineos pulling in the peloton.

Then, with 31km remaining, Evenepoel launched his attack, Covi trying and failing to follow.

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Passing the finish line of the Legnano circuit with 15km to the finish he had 1-20 over the second group on the road, and with two laps to go was over two minutes up on them.

Such was the advantage Evenepoel held over the peloton that they had to be stopped momentarily before entering the circuit as the 21-year-old was coming back around to them.

Evenepoel sailed across the line to seal another brilliant solo win, stopping by the side of the road to watch Masnada sprint for second, the Italian forced to settle for third behind Covi, as Battilstella took fourth and Pinot fifth. UAE Team Emirates' Juan Sebastián Molano won the sprint from the peloton.

Evenepoel will next race Il Lombardia on Saturday, the race at which he suffered a season-ending crash last year.

Results

Coppa Bernocchi 2021: Legnano to Legnano (197.15km)

1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, in 4-26-13
2. Alessandro Covi (Ita) UAE Team Emirates, at 1-49
3. Fausto Masnada (Ita) Deceuninck - Quick-Step, at 1-50
4. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana - Premier Tech, at 2-25
5. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 2-26
6. Antonio Puppio (Ita) Qhubeka-Assos, at 2-55
7. Juan Sebastián Molano (Col) UAE Team Emirates, at 10-57
8. Filippo Fiorelli (Ita) Bardiani-CSF-Fainzanè
9. Niccolò Bonifazio (Ita) TotalEnergies
10. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cofidis, all at same time

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Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.


Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).


I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.