Image 1 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) celebrates after winning Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 2 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) goes on the attack (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 3 of 78 Peter Sagan's teammates made sure their leader and Moser were in contention (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 4 of 78 Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil - DCM) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 5 of 78 Andy Schleck (RadioShack - Nissan) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 6 of 78 (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 7 of 78 (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 8 of 78 Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack - Nissan) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 9 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) and Peter Sagan (Cannondale) put the hammer down (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 10 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) makes his move (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 11 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 12 of 78 Michael Schär (BMC), Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling), Maxim Belkov (Katusha) and Giairo Ermetti (Androni) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 13 of 78 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Movistar Team) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 14 of 78 Manuel Quinziato (BMC Racing Team) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 15 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) crosses the line in Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 16 of 78 Giairo Ermeti (Androni Giocattoli) leads the break (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 17 of 78 Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil - DCM) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 18 of 78 Peter Sagan (Cannondale) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 19 of 78 Danilo Hondo (RadioShack - Leopard) and teammate Andy Schleck (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 20 of 78 Taylor Phinney (BMC) riding his first Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 21 of 78 Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM) put in a strong attack but was unable to force a selection (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 22 of 78 Cannondale controlled the race perfectly for Sagan and Moser to exploit (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 23 of 78 Cannondale and RadioShack were the two most prominent teams in the race during the early chase (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 24 of 78 The peloton takes on one of the early dirt sections of the race (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 25 of 78 Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) worked for Valverde (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 26 of 78 Peter Sagan (Cannondale) stretches the lead group (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 27 of 78 Taylor Phinney (BMC) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 28 of 78 Luca Wackermann (Lampre - Merida) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 29 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) wins the 2013 Strade Bianche in style (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 30 of 78 Cannondale put all their support behind Sagan and Moser (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 31 of 78 Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM) on the attack (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 32 of 78 Peter Sagan (Cannondale) at the start (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 33 of 78 Thomas Dekker (Garmin-Sharp) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 34 of 78 Andy Schleck (RadioShack - Leopard) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 35 of 78 Taylor Phinney (BMC) at the start of the 2013 Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 36 of 78 Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM) attacked but failed to stay clear (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 37 of 78 Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM) on the move (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 38 of 78 Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack - Leopard) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 39 of 78 Simone Ponzi (Astana) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 40 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 41 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) on the podium after his win (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 42 of 78 Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 43 of 78 Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 44 of 78 Francesco Reda (Androni Giocattoli) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 45 of 78 Moser leads Sagan on the left while BMC and RadioShack try and get on terms (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 46 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) leads Flecha (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 47 of 78 Giairo Ermeti leads Michael and Maxim Belkov (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 48 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale Pro Cycling) wins the 2013 Strade Bianche (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 49 of 78 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2R La Mondiale) (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 50 of 78 Peter Sagan (Cannondale) marked Fabian Cancellara out of the race (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 51 of 78 Peter Sagan and Moreno Moser pulled of a famous 1-2 in Strade Bianche (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 52 of 78 The Strade Bianche podium with Sagan, Moser and Nocentini (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 53 of 78 Michael Schär (BMC) (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 54 of 78 Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling) (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 55 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) goes on the attack in Strade Bianche (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 56 of 78 Garmin, RadioShack and Cannondale control the peloton (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 57 of 78 The peloton rides through the dirt roads of the Strade Bianche (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 58 of 78 The peloton rides through the dirt roads of the Strade Bianche (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 59 of 78 Martin Kohler after doing his work for BMC on the front of the peloton (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 60 of 78 Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling) leads the day's early break (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 61 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale Pro Cycling) wins the 2013 Strade Bianche (Image credit: Sirotti) Image 62 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) prepares for action. (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 63 of 78 Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Leopard) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 64 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 65 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) celebrates after winning Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 66 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) celebrates after winning Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 67 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) was among the race favourites but everyone expected teammate Peter Sagan to win (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 68 of 78 Moreno Moser (Cannondale) celebrates winning Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 69 of 78 Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R La Mondiale) leads home the race for third (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 70 of 78 The peloton chases down the Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 71 of 78 The Strade Bianche couldn't have had nicer weather conditions. (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 72 of 78 Peter Sagan (Cannondale) hits the front on a gravel sector of Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 73 of 78 Cancellara bides his time in the strade bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 74 of 78 Belkov (Katusha) in the breakaway with Ermeti (Androni) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 75 of 78 The four man breakaway: Giario Ermeti, Maxim Belkov, Aleksejs Saramotins and Michael Schaer (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 76 of 78 Taylor Phinney (BMC) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 77 of 78 The riders enjoyed a lovely, sunny day for the Strade Bianche (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 78 of 78 Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard) sits in and waits (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Moreno Moser became the first Italian to win the Strade Bianche race after executing a perfect Cannondale Pro Cycling team strategy with fellow young talent Peter Sagan that gave the Italian squad a rare one-two ahead of Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2r-La Mondiale).

Related Articles Sagan happy to help Moser at Strade Bianche

Moser seems to carry the burden of a famous cycling name with ease, sharing the aggression and power of his famous uncle Francesco and the rest of the Moser family. He was not afraid to take his chance on the penultimate section of dirt road after almost five hours of racing, knowing that Cannondale could count on Sagan for the climb to the finish and any eventual sprint.

He went clear of the front group with a surge in speed at the start of the dirt road section. He swept up Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM), and quickly dropped the tired Spaniard before crossing to the remains of the break of the day.

Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling), Maxim Belkov (Katusha) and Michael Schär (BMC) were still working well together and Moser wisely let them stay on his wheel and only surged clear on the final steep section inside the final kilometre. The chasers were closing the gap and had Moser in sight but he powered away and then dived down into Piazza del Campo like a horse about to win the Palio, crossing the line with his arms in the air.

"I've always thought this race suited me. I like selective races because I know I'm competitive when it starts to hurt," Moser said after spraying his Tuscan tifosi with the winner's Spumante.

"On the dirt roads, it's all down to yourself and what you have in your legs. You can’t worry about tactics too much in this race. I went because it was the right thing to do. I got a gap, looked back and then went for it. Me and my uncle are different kinds of riders but I suppose we're similar in lots of ways too, especially in how we race."

2012 winner Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Leopard) tried to inspire a chase and close the gap but Sagan followed him like a shadow and he was forced to concede defeat to the talented young Cannondale combo.





"We knew Peter would be marked closely today and so he helped me behind, closing down the attacks. I've got to thank all the team today. They all worked hard to help me in."

How it unfolded

A total of 79 riders finished this year's Strade Bianche, with the strong wind making the 188km and five hours in the saddle especially hard.

Most were excited about riding a unique race and the bunch chased down the early attacks and stayed together until the sight of the Renaissance Siena skyline and the first section of dirt road.

The breathtaking view inspired Michael Schär (BMC) and he was quickly joined by Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling), Maxim Belkov (Katusha) and Giairo Ermetti (Androni) to form the break of the day.

The four covered 44.8km in the first hour and quickly opened a gap of four minutes after the first section of dirt road. The gap grew to a maximum of 10:50 after 69km and the second section of dirt roads near Buonconvento. However the chase was underway behind and picked up after the feed zone at the 106km mark.

The 11.5km fifth section of dirt road after 130km usually creates the key selection in the race and with Cannondale doing the work, the peloton split as the gap came down to 4:50.

Flecha tried a valiant but illogical lone chase but became stuck in no-man's land between the two groups, using up valuable energy. Everyone else was waiting for the final two sections of dirt road.

Cancellara looked strong and hungry for a third victory but had little team support. Thomas Dekker (Garmin-Sharp) was up there, while Cadel Evans was happy to play the role of BMC domestique for Greg Van Avermaert.

They were all perhaps waiting for Sagan and Cannondale to play their cards. Yet when Moser went, nobody got on his wheel. It was the moment the race was won.

Moser swept up Flecha and then dropped him on the final section of dirt road with a powerful surge while sat in the saddle. He crossed to the tired breakaway inside the final ten kilometres, while Sagan sat on Cancellara's wheel, following him all over the road to dissuade any chase.

Moser stayed cool up front, waiting for the final climb. He knew he had to win with Sagan so strong behind and did a perfect ride, accelerating away from the breakaway on the 18 per cent climb, able to enjoy every moment of solo victory in the stunning Piazza del Campo.



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