Jan Polanc wins Trofeo Laigueglia as UAE Team Emirates takes over podium

UAE Team Emirates faced tough competition towards the end, but having had strength in numbers and quality, the team managed to fill all three spots of the podium, with Jan Polanc emerging the big winner from the hilly race.

It took a while for a breakaway to settle in the race but eventually a group containing Gil Gelders (Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB), Lorenzo Roda (Biesse - Carrera), Ricardo Tosin (General Store Essegibi F.lli Curia), Jacopo Cortese and Francesco Carollo (Mg.K Vis-Color for Peace-VPM) went off, later to be caught with 66 kilometers to go as the pace ramped up in the peloton and shortly after a small group split off the front of the peloton containing multiple riders of several of the main teams, with Trek - Segafredo having to chase - unsuccessfuly - in the peloton.

As the riders entered the final circuit around the town of Laigueglia the race began being attacked harshly as UAE Team Emirates began deploying their strength in numbers. No attack however succeeded in escaping as INEOS Grenadiers also had a large number of riders and managed to control all move until the final laps, which had seen in the meantime a crash from one of the pre-race favourites David Gaudu putting him out of contention for the race contention.

In the final ascent, despite UAE's best efforts to uncoordinate the remaining group, they saw Lorenzo Rota lead the entire ascent not allowing for any attacks to fly off, taking both UAE's Covi and Ayuso with him, both of whom attacked Rota but without success on the run-up to the finish. Insid the final kilometer Carlos Rodriguez and Jan Polanc returned to the front of the race and the Slovenian launched a piercing attack, which despite some chase from his own teammates in a sprint, maneged to take what was a very big win, his first since 2017.

Alessandro Covi and Juan Ayuso finished second and third in the sprint behind, making it an inconceivable complete podium for UAE Team Emirates.