“We knew Gregoire was very fast in a sprint” - Santiago Buitrago seals special win in Bahrain tactical masterclass at Trofeo Laigueglia
Cycling
Santiago Buitrago delivered a perfectly timed attack to win the Trofeo Laigueglia, turning a tactical decision inside the final kilometres into a decisive solo victory for Bahrain - Victorious.
The Colombian made his move from a select front group on the final circuit around Laigueglia and held off the chasers to claim the 63rd edition of the Italian one-day race. Behind him, Romain Gregoire finished second, while teammate Antonio Tiberi secured third to complete a strong afternoon for Bahrain.
After the finish, Buitrago revealed that the decisive move was not simply instinct but a deliberate choice made with Tiberi once the race had narrowed to a small group on the climbs.
“We’re very happy to take this first victory so early in the season, and even more so because it comes here in Liguria, where I lived in 2019,” Buitrago said in a team press release. “It’s special to win here.”
“We raced very well as a team, very intelligently, and it’s great to also have Antonio on the podium in third place. The whole team did a great job controlling the race.”
Bahrain anticipate Gregoire in decisive finale
The race had exploded earlier on the steep slopes of Colla Micheri after the long solo move from Louis Vervaeke was finally brought back. A small group including Buitrago, Gregoire and Tiberi emerged as the strongest riders on the climbs, with the trio briefly working together to keep the chasers at bay.
But Buitrago and Tiberi had already identified the key threat among their rivals. “In the final, Antonio and I decided to anticipate because we knew Gregoire was very fast in a sprint,” Buitrago explained. “On the last climb, we made the difference.”
Once the move went, the Colombian quickly opened a gap and maintained the advantage all the way to the finish, while Tiberi remained behind with Gregoire to contest the remaining podium places.
Santiago Buitrago and Antonio Tiberi shake hands on the podium at Trofeo Laigueglia 2026
Bahrain sports director Gorazd Stangelj confirmed that the team had approached the race with the final circuit in mind, expecting the decisive moment to arrive on the repeated climbs around Laigueglia.
“The plan was to reach the final circuit and decide the race there,” Stangelj said. “We wanted to ride the first lap attentively, but the riders were feeling strong and chose to be aggressive earlier.”
“They attacked immediately with Gregoire and managed to maintain around a 30-second advantage over the chasing group, which was never able to close the gap.”
As the race entered its final lap, the decisive move finally came. “On the final lap, Santi went solo, while Antonio stayed with Gregoire to fight for the remaining podium places,” Stangelj added. “Even on the flat run in to the finish, Santi pushed hard to maintain his advantage.”
For Buitrago, the victory marks an ideal early-season success, and one that carries added personal meaning given his previous connection to the region. “Now my next target is Tirreno-Adriatico,” he said.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
- If Tiberi has a better and more consistent 2027 I somehow doubt it will be because of this victorious warning. Unless his preparation has been off, cycling isn't football.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
🇮🇹 #TrofeoLaigueglia 🥇 @SantiagoBS26 🥉 Antonio Tiberi #RideAsOne 📸 @SprintCycling
Write a comment