As the race progressed, the leading group expanded to include Isaac Del Toro and Jay Vine, giving UAE four riders at the front. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale also added Lafay to support Peters and Lapeira, while Movistar’s group was reinforced by Tesfatsion, Milesi, and Mühlberger.
By 39km from the finish, Carlos Canal and Adam Yates had briefly surged ahead, with the next chasers — including Masnada, Vine, Fancellu, Leknessund, Chumil, de la Calle, Peters, Lapeira, Izagirre, Caicedo, Oliveira, Piganzoli, Milesi, Vansevenant, Majka, and Rochas — trailing by 26 seconds. A secondary group, containing Raccani, Raccagni Noviero, Tesfatsion, Mühlberger, Lafay, Finn, and Del Toro, was over a minute behind, illustrating the selective nature of the race.
Repeated accelerations from Oliveira, Yates, and Del Toro maintained UAE’s control at the front, while Lapeira briefly animated the second group in an attempt to bridge gaps. By the time the leaders reached the second ascent of Lissolo and approached Sirtori, UAE continued to dictate the pace, and the peloton was kept on a measured leash. The break had completed over 2,250 vertical metres by this stage, with around three-quarters of the day’s climbing behind them, setting up a decisive finale over Colle Brianza.
By the time the race entered the final 20km, the duo of Yates and Canal seemed to have victory wrapped up between them as they led their nearest chasers by over two minutes. With 17km to go, disaster then struck Canal as the Movistar man suffered a horribly timed flat, allowing Yates to ride clear solo. From there, victory was decided for the Brit.