Guangxi: Fernando Gaviria wins sprint finale, Wellens takes home title

The overall result was never really in question on the final day of the inaugural Tour of Guangxi as the sixth stage kicked off in Guilin, China on Tuesday.

Queen stage winner and reigning race leader Tim Wellens of Lotto Soudal started — and eventually ended — the 168.1-kilometre city circuit with a six-second advantage over Dutchman Bauke Mollema of Trek-Segafredo, and 11 over Irishman Nicolas Roche (BMC Racing).

Lotto’s sole plan was to keep Wellens safe and sound, and finish with bunch time in what would ultimately be a bunch kick sprint at the line. The team did just that to end the 2017 UCI season and final WorldTour race of the year with a win for Wellens.

“It’s a WorldTour stage race and it’s never easy to win,” said the 26-year-old Belgian. “I think as a team we did a super good job controlling and I’m super happy to win it.”

“In the mountain I was getting a little bit nervous,” Wellens continued. “I was afraid other teams would attack, but in the end it was just a good tempo uphill, so there wasn’t any attack, so for us it was perfect.”

Earlier in the day, Italian sprinter Maria Vittoria Sperotto (Bepink Cogeas) out-kicked the field, including a pair of Wiggle-High5 riders, to claim the women’s 110km circuit race which used portions of the same exact course of the men’s parcours.

However, in the men’s race it was Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) who once again proved unequaled in the sprint to claim his fourth win of the week after being sidetracked by Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) on Monday’s Stage 5.

The 23-year-old former track world champion, who won four stages at the Giro d’Italia in May, finished the race as the overall points champion, while Italian Daniel Oss (BMC Racing) took home the mountains jersey. Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who finished fourth on general classification 15 seconds adrift, took home the best young rider jersey.

For final stage and race report click here.

---

Bepink Cogeas sprinter Maria Vittoria Sperotto (ITA) opened up her pro win account with a victory in her last race of the UCI season.

Sperotto came out tops in a massive bunch sprint that included a pair of Wiggle-High5 riders, Amy Cure (AUS) and Lucy Garner (GBR), hot on her wheel at the end of the 110-kilometre UCI 1.1 city circuit race, which used a portion of the men’s Tour of Guangxi finale in Guilin.

“I did it … I’m really happy,” said the 20-year-old Italian. “It was pretty hard to keep the position, but I managed to keep the position in the last corner and I did sprint, so that’s all.”

Both Cure and Garner were pleased with their hard-fought results following the race.

“It was quite a hard finish,” said Cure, who finished second. “It didn’t quite go to plan, but it was awesome to get second and third up there.”

Garner re-iterated her teammate’s sentiments.

“And considering we are only here with three, we really pulled together as a team and to get second and third we are so happy with that,” said the 23-year-old Brit, refereeing to the team’s limited roster, which also included Lucy’s younger sister Grace Garner (GBR).

“Well, we knew we came here with three riders,” Cure told Eurosport. “There’s us and Orica, the more experienced teams out there. We knew obviously going in with three riders it could play out to a little bit of an advantage leaving it up to Orica to chase.”