Nizzolo triumphant in Clasica de Almeria

After getting his season underway at last week’s Etoile de Besseges, with a fourth & third place on the opening two stages, European Champion Giacomo Nizzolo took his first victory of the season in the 183km one day race, the Clasica de Almeria.

Giacomo Nizzolo takes the win at the Clasica de Almeria Source: Qhubeka-ASSOS

The course is normally regarded as one for the fast men, with some climbs in the opening 100km of the race, with the final 75km back to Roquetas de Mar mostly flat and fast.

So it proved, with the race coming down to the crash-marred finale, with Deceuninck-Quickstep losing their top two sprinters Alvaro Hodeg to a crash and Mark Cavendish to a mechanical, the top squad retooled its sprint for Florian Senechal (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and controlled the final kilometres to the line.

Nizzolo exploded off the back of the Deceuninck-QuickStep lead out to head round the final bend first and take the win ahead of Senechal and Martin Laas (BORA-hansgrohe).

"I never expected to start this season so well, so I'm very pleased," Nizzolo said afterwards, "it was a tricky finish, quite stressful and a bit technical in parts, and what made it really hard was the wind."

"But I got great support from my teammates when I needed it and this shows I'm in good form for the Classics too, which are my big goals of the first part of the season."