Movistar's Alajandro Valverde won the Roma Maxima.
A race to highlight many of the visitor attractions in this Italian capital city, this 195km race suits sprinters with its fast finish but can also be a playground for the one day specialists who like a solo break away on one of the six hills.
On one giant anti clockwise loop of the city, the riders which were without Kessiakoff, Tewelde, Euser and Jones, started on the same roads that they would finish on by the Colosseum, Brandle, Bonifazio, Teklehaimanot, Reijnen, Ben Gastauer and Ludvigsson escaped the peloton with fifteen kilometres gone.
The seven leaders gained 6.12 on the peloton with 65kms to go but that was on reasonably flat roads. When things went uphill as they started on the Rocca Massima after 97 kilometres of racing, their lead was down to 4.40.
Another minute had been shaved off as the seven leaders started on the Rocca Priora climb.
Bardiani worked hard and the gap came down to less than a minute, so AG2R's Ben Gastauer went off the front with 48kms to go.
Eight kilometres later and Alajandro Valverde, who finished third in the Strade Bianche, went after Gastauer and caught him.
Dominico Pozzovivo of AG2R moved to the front on the steep climb of the Campi di Annibale and then allowed Valverde to catch up to him.
With just over thirty kilometres to go, they had a 23 second lead over a chasing group of twelve.
The climbing was done and with a lead of twenty seconds, Pozzovivo and Valverde set on on the 25km run in for home.
Rabottini gave chase but was losing time going into the final four kilometres as the peloton, some 48 seconds back were swept up by the peloton.
The peloton continued to try and chase down Pozzovivo and Valverde. BMC's Sammy Sanchez was the next to try and get to the duo with two kilometres to go.
Round the Colluseum with a 25 second lead, Pozzovivo and Valverde carried on towards the line.
Valverde was in front as the peloton came into sight and hanged on to win in 4.45.45, an average speed of 41.454km/h. Pozzovivo didn't survive and was swept up just before the line.