Trofeo Laigueglia 2018 Preview

By David Hunter

Laigueglia – Laigueglia 203km

Italian cycling is back with the 55th edition of this race.

It is an event that is dominated by the closing circuit, featuring a tough climb of 2km at 8%. Last year we saw Fabio Felline escape on the final ascent and have enough to stay away until the finish. Will a lone attacker succeed this year?

Weather

Not very warm, but it should stay dry for the riders. The wind shouldn’t be a factor either.

Contenders

Mattia Cattaneo – after returning to his old self in 2017, I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do in 2018. Without Egan Bernal, a lot of the leadership burden will fall onto his shoulders, something I think he’ll enjoy. Cattaneo is a very impressive climber, who seems to favour the shorter efforts. That means this is a great race for him. Androni dominated the 2017 Italian Cup, earning them a spot at the Giro, Gianni Savio will expect more of the same in 2018.

Francesco Gavazzi – the 2nd option for Androni. A very fast finisher, who always seems to climb with the best. Gavazzi will finish with the main group, giving Androni a huge advantage. They can use other riders to attack, letting Gavazzi rest, until the sprint finish.

Jacopo Mosca – ended the season on a high by winning the Tour of Hainan. The Italian is a rider with a huge amount of potential and he’ll get plenty of opportunities at Wilier this season. He’s a good climber and possesses a solid sprint. He should make a strong combination with Matteo Busato, the team’s other protected rider.

Marco Canola – he enjoyed his best ever season in 2017 taking six wins, a hugely impressive haul. After ending the season by winning the Japan Cup, he’ll be hoping to start the year by taking a big win on home soil. He has a very fast kick, but it’s his climbing that has impressed me. He represents Nippo’s only hope of taking the win.

Gianluca Brambilla – now riding with Trek, Brambilla started the season well in Mallorca. In this race, he’ll be wearing the blue of Italy, always a proud moment for any Italian. If he can carry his Mallorca form into this race, he’ll be a very hard man to beat.

Mauro Finetto – he’s started the season quite slowly in the recent French races, but I expect to see him back to his usual standard in Italy. 2017 was a strong year for Finetto and I expect to see more from him in 2018. He is a rider most teams would love to have, as he can climb and sprint.

Sergey Firsanov – 2017 was not a great year for the Russian, maybe at 35, he’s starting to slow down. Gazprom really are a funny team, often at their best when written off. Firsanov has the ability to win this race, we shall have to wait and see what he can do.

Quentin Jauregui – as the only World Tour team at the race, a lot of pressure will be on the shoulders of AG2R. They don’t bring their top team, but still possess a lot of quality. I would be pleased to see Jauregui given a leadership role, he’s a rider that had an excellent year. He made a big improvement in 2017, finishing 12th in Strade Bianche and 3rd in Tour de Doubs. We will have to wait and see if AG2R give him such a role, or if they turn to the experience of Hubert Dupont.

Prediction Time

No offence meant, but we are lacking a little bit of quality in this field. The stand out rider is Brambilla, but he’ll need to be solid form to take the win. Instead, I’ll go with Francesco Gavazzi to take the win from a reduced sprint.

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