Garmin-Sharp's Dan Martin has won the Giro di Lombardia.
A 254km UCI World Tour race from Como to Bergamo in Italy attracted a very strong field including world champion Michael Kwaitkowski and Cadel Evans, who was making this his last race on European soil before the former Tour De France champion and winner of this race in 2009 officially retires in his native Australia later this year.
Tiziano Dall'Antonio, Francesco Gavazzi, Jeremy Roy, Jan Polanc, Andrea Fedi, Sergio Paulinho, Paul Voss and Mathias Brändle formed the first real break of the day after fifteen kilometres and with others riders joining to form an eleven man break, another fifty five kilometres later, they had been allowed to get 8.36 clear by the peloton.
A crash saw Popovych of Trek Factory racing taken to hospital but at the halfway stage and the riders heading into Bergamo for the first time, their lead was 6.30.
Over the Pasta climb and the gap thanks to work from Tinkoff Saxo saw the leaders with a lead of 5.50.
Onto the Passo di Ganda and gaps were appearing amongst the escapers. Paul Vos was dropped, leaving now only Roy, Polanc, Fedi, Paulinho and Rubiano Chavez up front.
Another attack with just over sixty kilometres left saw Polanc attack, followed by Paulinho and Fedi, whilst behind them, Amets Txurruka had taken care of the rest of the escapers.
Rubiano Chavez joined the three up front but on the Bracca, Paulinho attacked with the Tinkoff-Saox rider having 46kms left to race and two more climbs.
He was joined by Fedi with forty kilometres left but their gap had dropped to 56 seconds nine kilometres later and when they were only 26 seconds ahead, Lampre's Jan Polanc was able to join them.
They were soon caught and Weening and Hermans took over before being joined by Leopald Konig with 18 kilometres to go.
With the world champion out of the race due to cramp and a crash taking care of others, Konig also succumbed to cramp and dropped back into the peloton, leaving Weening and Hermans with a nine second lead and just over six kilometres left.
Barguil immediately brought back the two leaders and Lotto Belisol's Tim Wellens briefly attacked before Philippe Gilbert caught him and then went past with a group containing Costa, Valverde and Rodriguez.
Also in that group was Irishman Dan Martin and the Garmin-Sharp rider, broke clear inside the final kilometre and rode home to record a superb victory ahead of Valverde, Costa, Wellens, Sanchez, Albasini, Gilbert, Rodriguez, Aru and Nocentini, who all avoided a crash in the final corner.
Pictures courtesy of Ran Doner