Magnus Cort Neilsen takes his 31st career victory, attacking almost from the gun and holding off the pre-race favourites. Second place went to the Frenchman Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and third to Belgian Xandro Meurisse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in front of big and boisterous crowds the length of the course.
BASSANO DEL GRAPPA (VI) - The 2024 cycling season ended on Sunday afternoon with a
Magnus Cort Nielsen signature move and, in fact, masterpiece. The Dane from the Uno-X Mobility team claimed victory in the
2024 Veneto Classic - organized by
PP Sport Events with the support of
Crédit Agricole - thanks to a breakaway that he helped to form in the early kilometres of the race. Cort was then able to wear down his fellow escapees and finish alone in the packed Piazza Libertà in
Bassano del Grappa. Behind, the pre-race favorites either waited too long or simply underestimated Cort and found themselves fighting for second and third place. Those minor podium places would eventually go to the same riders who completed the top three at the Giro del Veneto, but in reverse order this time:
Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and
Xandro Meurisse (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Starting from the beautiful town of Soave, the race was shaped by that early
breakaway of six riders: Anders Foldager (Jayco AlUla), Alexis Gougeard (Cofidis), Tobias Bayer (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Kyrylo Tsarenko (Corratec-Vini Fantini), Riccardo Biondani (General Store-Essegibi-F.lli Curia) - who won the intermediate sprint in Nove dedicated to Jacopo Venzo, the junior rider who tragically passed away last year after a crash at the Tour of Austria - and Magnus Cort Nielsen (Uno-X Mobility), clearly the frontrunner with the richest pedigree.
The gap went out to nearly four minutes but the lead group would also start to fracture on the first ascent of the
Tisa climb, leaving only Cort Nielsen, Bayer, and Foldager out front. Behind, UAE Team Emirates and later Groupama-FDJ were pulling hard, their pace shattering the bunch, but a lack of cohesion in the chase allowed the leading trio to remain clear as they swung onto the lower slopes of the
Diesel Farm climb.
It was here that Cort Nielsen made his winning move, finally dropping Bayer and Foldager (awarded 'King of Tisa').
Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla) attacked hard from behind, bringing Grégoire, Pellizzari, Meurisse, and
Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) with him, but it was too late to catch the now rampant Dane.
Thus, Cort Nielsen rode into Piazza Libertà victorious and with time to savour a resounding reception from the local fans. A last-ditch effort from Grégoire on the Contrà Soarda climb secured him second place, with Meurisse then out-sprinting the chasing group for third.
RESULTS
1) Magnus Cort Nielsen (Uno-X Mobility) in 4h24’02”
2) Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) +17”
3) Xandro Meurisse (Alpecin-Deceuninck) +19”
4) Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) +20”
5) Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla) +21”
6) Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) +23”
7) Filippo Baroncini (UAE Team Emirates) +39”
8) Francesco Busatto (Intermarché-Wanty) +41”
9) Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty) +49”
10) Davide De Pretto (Jayco AlUla) +54”
REACTIONS:
Cort Nielsen (winner):
"Before today, I had only won one one-day classic, so this victory is even more special. Maybe this isn't yet a major race, but to me, it felt like one due to the course and the crowd. The other day I scouted the Tisa climb, found it really tough, and thought that tackling it in the group would be chaotic with lots of stress and riders slowing down. That’s why I decided to get in the breakaway, and it was the best choice. These efforts really suit my strengths. I’m finishing the best season of my career."
Grégoire (second):
"Today I did what I had to do, but there was a rider up front who was really strong, and I couldn’t do any more. Of course, I would have preferred to win, but we can accept second place. I really enjoyed this race—it's a bit atypical with the cobblestones and gravel, but I had fun. When I first saw the Tisa, I was a bit scared, but in the end it went well. My form was still good, but I’m happy to go on vacation now."
Meurisse (third):
“I was supposed to go home after the Serenissima Gravel, but due to some teammates dropping out, I stayed for this race. And I’m thankful I did because I secured another nice podium after a great team performance. When Cort Nielsen is on form, he's one of the strongest riders in the peloton because he can handle any terrain. Today, when I heard the breakaway’s gap was 3’30", I knew it wouldn’t be easy to catch them. When you win like this, it means you really deserved it."
