Gallery: Chaves triumphs in the ‘race of the falling leaves’

Oct 02, 2016

The peloton set out from Como on a 240-kilometer trek to Bergamo Saturday at Il Lombardia. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

The grueling "race of the falling leaves" takes riders along rugged but scenic roads in northern Italy. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Mikael Cherel, Rudy Molard, Stefan Denifl, and Damiano Caruso formed the day's main breakaway. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Once the break got clear, the pack slowed things down for a while before ramping up the pace again around the midway point of the race. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Cannondale – Drapac put in a lot of work at the front of the bunch. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

The break's gap topped out at around seven minutes before the pack began to eat into the advantage again. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

The challenging terrain wore away at the break and the bunch alike. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

The peloton shrank considerably as the riders hit a series of tough late climbs. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

The tough terrain saw one breaker after another fade from the lead group until Damiano Caruso was solo at the front. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Esteban Chaves, Romain Bardet, and Rigoberto Urán managed to break clear of the bunch on the Selvino climb some 30km from the finish, riding into the lead after passing Caruso. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Diego Rosa worked hard in the pack for Fabio Aru before setting off on his own to catch the escapees up the road. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Rosa latched on to the lead group, turning a trio into a quartet just before the final climb. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

A fierce attack by Chaves dropped Bardet, setting up a three-man finish in Bergamo. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Rigoberto Urán appeared to be the favorite for a sprint, and Diego Rosa seemed well-placed heading into the final corner, but it was Chaves who emerged victorious in the closely contested finale. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Alejandro Valverde led a small group over the finish, settling for minor placings. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

Chaves' win marked Colombia's first ever monument classic victory. Photo: Tim De Waele | TDWsport.com

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