“We knew Gregoire was very fast in a sprint” - Santiago Buitrago seals special win in Bahrain tactical masterclass at Trofeo Laigueglia

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.”

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.

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.