Rome, March 14 (LaPresse) – Thirteen years after Edvald Boasson Hagen's victory in Terni, Norway returns to triumph at the Tirreno-Adriatico Crédit Agricole with Fredrik Dversnes. The Norwegian rider capitalized on a 195 km breakaway in the fifth stage to claim his first WorldTour victory. Representing Uno-X Mobility, Dversnes was part of a seven-rider breakaway—including Gal Glivar, Xandro Meurisse, Paul Ourselin, Dries De Bondt, Francisco Munoz, and Green Jersey holder Manuele Tarozzi—that built a maximum advantage of 6'44".
The Monterolo climb, with its summit 7.5 km from the finish, served as the launchpad for Dversnes’ final attack. He crested the climb with less than a 10-second lead over a reduced Blue Jersey group, from which Thomas Pidcock and Juan Ayuso attempted unsuccessful counterattacks. The former Norwegian national champion pressed on, benefiting from the lack of coordination among the chasers to complete his solo effort. Seven seconds behind, Mathieu Van der Poel outsprinted Roger Adrià and Giulio Ciccone for second place. Meanwhile, Blue Jersey holder Filippo Ganna suffered a mechanical issue within the final 3 km but was able to retain his leader's jersey.
Tomorrow will be a decisive day for the overall classification, with the finish atop the 1,327-meter climb of Frontignano (Ussita).
© Copyright LaPresse
