Scotland's Callum Thornley seals a masterpiece in Oggiono: the 97th Piccolo Lombardia is his!
A spectacular, high-octane edition, raced at blistering speeds averaging over 45 km/h, has crowned the talent of Callum Thornley. The 22-year-old from Edinburgh, riding for Red Bull BORA hansgrohe Rookies and fresh off an impressive fifth-place finish at the World Time Trial Championships in Kigali, claimed victory in the town of Oggiono (Lecco) after a nail-biting, small-group sprint.
The decisive move took shape on the final ramps of the Marconaga di Ello climb, just under 6 kilometers from the finish line, where Thornley broke away with an elite four-man group. In the final dash to the line, Italy's Mattia Negrente (XDS Astana Development)—who put on an outstanding performance throughout the day—tried to anticipate the sprint but launched a bit too early. This opened the door for his rivals: Thornley powered down the right side, narrowly edging out Britain's Elliot Rowe and France's Antoine L’Hote. Verona-native Negrente was left just off the podium in a bittersweet fourth place.
RACE REPORT
The 170-kilometer race was a battle right from the flag drop. The first breakaway of the day was launched by Verdonck (DL Chemicals Experza), Nielsen (ColoQuick), and Holzknecht (Tirol KTM Cycling Team), who managed a maximum lead of 34" before being reabsorbed by the peloton at kilometer 36.
The race truly ignited at kilometer 61 when a 13-man move escaped (comprising Roberts, L’Hote, Thornley, Boussemaere, Dodd, Fontaine, Marriage, Pavis, Rowe, Boulet, Kessler, Eckerstorfer, and the lone Italian in the group, Negrente). As the road tilted upward toward the Ghisallo, the lead group shattered, leaving just eight riders at the front with a 2’31” gap over the peloton. It was Belgium's Louic Boussemaere who crossed the legendary Madonna del Ghisallo summit in first place to take the prestigious KOM sprint.
The action intensified further in Villa Vergano, where Rowe and Thornley forced the pace. They were quickly joined by L’Hote, Negrente, and Boussemaere. The five leaders cooperated smoothly until the slopes of the Marconaga di Ello, where the climb delivered its final verdict: Negrente, Thornley, L’Hote, and Rowe dropped the rest, flying clear toward the final showdown on the finishing straight in Oggiono.
ARRIVAL ORDER
1. Callum Thornley (Gbr-Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe Rookies)
km 170,6 in 3h 46’40 media/h,159
2. Elliot Rowe (Gbr-Visma Lease a Bike Development)
3. Antoine L’Hote (Fra-Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development)
4. Mattia Negrente (Ita-XDS Astana Development)
5. Louic Boussemaere (Bel- Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development) 32”
6. Cole Kessler (Usa-Lidl Trek Future Racing) 56”
7. Benjamin Eckerstorfer (Aut-Tirol KTM Cycling Team) 1’06”
8. Evan Pavis (Fra-Vendee U) 1’16”
9. Baptiste Gregoire (Fra-Groupama FDJ)
10. Cesar Lopez Perez (Esp-Equipo Finisher) 2’20”
