bicycle.net -- cycling news, product reviews, original essays, podcasts & video :: Tour of California 2009

San Luis Obispo, CA, 20 August, 2008 - Team Columbia’s Linus Gerdemann won the Coppa Agostoni race today in Italy with an aggressive performance.

Gerdemann is still building up his form after breaking his femur and damaging knee ligaments in a crash at the Tirreno-Adriatico race in March, but beat Italy’s Leonardo Bertagnolli (Liquigas) and Austrian national champion Christian Pfannberger (Barloworld) to take the prestigious Italian summer one-day race.

The three broke away 12kms from the end of the hilly race held north of Milan. A group of chasers were only a few seconds behind but were unable to catch them and Linus won the sprint to the line.

The 25 year-old German had hoped to win the Tre Valli Varesine race on Monday but a front wheel punctured two kilometres from the finish ruined his chances. He got revenge just 24 hours later.

“Linus was really unlucky in the Tre Valli race but made up for it with a perfect ride in the Coppa Agostoni,” directeur sportif Valerio Piva said proudly.

“The team protected and looked after him during most of the race and then he attack on a key climb with 20kms to go. The race came back together but Linus, Bertagnolli and Pfannberger got away again and then Linus was the best in the sprint.”

Team Columbia will also ride the Coppa Bernocchi race, the third of the Trittico Lombardo series on Thursday. The Coppa Bernocchi is much flatter than the Tre Valli Varesine and the Coppa Agostoni and usually ends in a sprint.

Riding for Team Columbia are: Michael Barry, Thomas Lovkist, Scott Davis, Marco Pinotti, Morris Possoni and Frantisek Rabon. A decision has yet to be taken on if Linus Gerdemann will ride.

Another Team Columbia squad began the weeklong Eneco Tour race on Wednesday in Holland and Belgium. Talented young Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen finished third in the 4.4km prologue time trial won by Spain’s Jose Ivan Gutierrez. Michael Rogers was fifth.