Italy’s Alessandro Ballan launched a stunning attack to win the men’s road race at the world championships in Varese. On a day when the big favourites for the rainbow jersey all missed the decisive break with 15 kilometres to go, the 28-year-old Lampre man prevailed from a breakaway group to finish three seconds ahead of compatriot Damiano Cunego, with Denmark’s Matti Breschel rounding off the podium.

Il veneto della Lampre Alessandro Ballan allunga ai tre chilometri dall’arrivo e conquista per distacco il Mondiale di Varese, il terzo consecutivo per gli azzurri di Ballerini. “Bettini mi ha dato spazio e si è dimostrato un grande uomo” Cunego 2° su Breschel

Olympic champion Nicole Cooke of Britain added the women’s world road race title to her collection after a thrilling battle in Varese. Cooke completed the 138.8-km course in 3 hours 42.11 minutes, just ahead of Marianne Vos of the Netherlands. Germany’s Judith Arndt took bronze.

Dopo l’oro di Pechino, la gallese Cooke si aggiudica anche la maglia iridata davanti all’olandese Vos e alla tedesca Arndt. La Bronzini, quattordicesima, è la prima delle azzurre.

Colombia’s Fabio Duarte Arevalo broke away from the pack with a kilometre left to win the men’s under-23 race at the world road championships. Duarte finished the 173.35 kms race in 4:17:02 with Italy’s Simone Ponzi second and John Degenkolb of Germany third after 10 laps of the course around the town of Varese, just north of Milan.

Nella prova in linea del Mondiale di Varese, il corridore della Zalf Fior Pionzi viene beffato dal colombiano Duarte che ha preso in contropiede il gruppetto di fuggitivi, tra cui altri due azzurri.

Germany’s Bert Grabsch destroyed the opposition to win the men’s time trial at the world road championships in Italy. Grabsch, the national champion in the race against the clock, took full advantage of the absence of two-time defending champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland to finish in a winning time of 52min 01sec. Over a relatively flat 43.7 km course which featured rolling sections, Canada’s Svein Tuft, an early pacesetter, finished second to take silver with David Zabriskie of the United States claiming bronze. While Tuft, a north-America based racer, claimed Canada’s first world medal in the event since the famous Steve Bauer in 1984, Zabriskie upstaged gold medal favourite and compatriot Levi Leipheimer.

Il tedesco Grabsch ha vinto percorrendo i 43,7 km del percorso in 52′01″60, precedendo il canadese Tuft e lo statunitense Zabriskie. Deluso Pinotti, 13°: “Il podio era nei miei sogni, avrei potuto osare di più”. Domani prova in linea per gli Under 23.

American cyclist Amber Neben won an emphatic victory in the women’s time trial at the world road championships in Varese as Briton Emma Pooley missed out on the podium. Neben surged round the course in the northern Italian town in 33 minutes 51 seconds with silver medallist Christiane Soeder of Austria seven seconds behind and Germany’s Judith Arndt taking bronze. Beijing Olympic time trial champion Kristin Armstrong of the United States went out last and was well behind the leaders at the first time check. She soon sped up but could finish only fifth.

L’americana Amber Neben ha vinto il titolo mondiale della cronometro donne. Sui 25 chilometri del percorso, che ricordava quello su strada di Varese 1951 vinto da Ferdy Kubler, ha battuto di 7″ l’austriaca Christiane Soeder e di 21″ la tedesca Judith Arndt. Quinta a 25″ la favoritissima, l’altra statunitense Kristin Armstrong, campionessa olimpica a Pechino.

Italian Adriano Malori delighted the home crowd to win the men’s under-23 time trial at the world road championships in Varese. The European under-23 champion, fifth in the same race at the Stuttgart worlds last year, went out last and completed the near 35km course around the northern Italian town in 41 minutes 35.98. Germany’s Patrick Gretsch was second and Australian Cameron Meyer third. Russia’s Dmitry Sokolov, among the favourites, slipped coming out of a tunnel and continued after being helped up. Italian Marco Coledan was ruled out of the race on Monday when he skidded in training and fell under a truck. Coledan, who was trying out the route, suffered a serious knee injury.

L’azzurro Adriano Malori, 20 anni, ha vinto il titolo mondiale nella prova a cronometro under 23, che ha aperto la rassegna iridata di Varese 2008. Sui 33,55 km del percorso che ricalcava quello in linea di Varese 1951 con la salita del Brinzio, ha battuto di 49″ il tedesco Patrick Gretsch; terzo l’australiano Cameron Meyer a 1’04. Ottimo quinto posto per l’altro italiano, Stefano Borchi, a 1’24″.

Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara powered his way to his second Olympic medal in four days, beating Sweden’s Gustav Larsson to take the gold in the men’s time trial. American Levi Leipheimer finished more than a minute behind Cancellara for the bronze in the 47.3 km race against the clock. Cancellara, who surprised himself with the bronze in the men’s road race under sweltering conditions on Saturday, pumped his arm as he crossed the finish line. He then staggered off his bicycle and collapsed along some barriers while trainers poured water over him.

Lo svizzero Cancellara, bicampione iridato della specialità, vince la prova contro il tempo sul sorprendente Larsson (Sve) e Leipheimer (Usa). Nibali 15°, Bruseghin 22°. Donne: Guderzo 12ª.

Nicole Cooke survived an uphill sprint finish in the pouring rain to win the gold medal in the women’s Olympic 126-km road race. Cooke then launched a fierce sprint for the last hundred metres and narrowly edged out Sweden’s Emma Johansson, who took the silver, and Tatiana Guderzo of Italy, who finished third.

Nella prova su strada femminile Tatiana Guderzo è terza nello sprint finale. Oro alla britannica Cooke, argento alla svedese Johansson.

Spanish climber Samuel Sanchez claimed his biggest ever career win when he claimed gold in the men’s gruelling Olympic road race, held over 245km. Italian Davide Rebellin finished a close second to take the silver medal with Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara placing third to take the bronze. Pre-race favourite and reigning champion Paolo Bettini of Italy was left trailing after a decisive attack on the final climb by Australian Cadel Evans. That move also dropped his fellow favourite Alejandro Valverde of Spain, and ultimately led to a six-man finish after a tough 6hr 23min 49sec of racing in 26 degrees celsius and 90 percent humidity.

Samuel Sanchez campione olimpico nel ciclismo su strada. Oro alla Spagna, che in questo 2008 indimenticabile ha vinto il Giro (Contador), il Tour (Sastre), molte classiche (Valverde e Freire), per non parlare delle altre discipline. L’argento è per l’Italia, appeso al collo di Davide Rebellin, straordinario e come spesso gli è accaduto, perfetto fino a un metro dal traguardo. Terzo posto per Fabian Cancellara, che ai Giochi era arrivato per puntare forte sulla prova a cronometro e invece ha rischiato di chiudere in trionfo una rimonta travolgente negli ultimi 5 chilometri (sarà bronzo sul podio di Pechino). Bettini, fuori dalla lotta per il primo posto.

Belgium’s Gert Steegmans won a bunch sprint on the Champs-Elysees as Spaniard Carlos Sastre won the Tour de France on Sunday. Steegmans benefited from an excellent lead-out by his Quick Step team-mates to beat Gerard Ciolek of Team Columbia by a comfortable margin on the cobblestones of central Paris. Germany’s Ciolek, a team-mate of quadruple stage winner Mark Cavendish, put in a late surge of pace but it was only enough to hold off green jersey Oscar Freire of Spain, who finished third.

Il belga Steegmans si aggiudica l’ultima tappa del Tour sui Campi Elisi. Lo spagnolo sale sul gradino più alto del podio, completato da Evans e Kohl. Italiani a secco pure nella frazione conclusiva.