Davide Ballerini after victory in Coppa Bernocchi - "I suffered a lot, but I am happy to be here again,"

Davide Ballerini got his second win of the season with a victory in Coppa Bernocchi. The Italian rider crossed the line first against Corbin Strong and Stefano Oldani in the sprint.

"I had already circled this race in red in my calendar two months ago. It was a very tough race. Alpecin-Deceuninck attacked with four local laps to go and we pulled through at three laps from the end," he told Cyclingpro.

There was a point when he almost gave up, but thankfully he committed till the end. And thanks to his teammate’s efforts and support secured the top podium position. “The moment Juju went, I thought the race was over for me. However, we came back anyway and from then on my teammates were riding for a sprint. They know I'm fast at the finish line and so my card was drawn," Ballerini said.

He is also happy to finally add another achievement to his list since Tour de Wallonie. "It wasn't an easy year. After my win in the Tour de Wallonie, I felt the condition was there, but in the Tour of Burgos I crashed badly. I never fully recovered from that, until today! I suffered a lot, but I am happy to be here again," concluded Ballerini.