Phil Bauhaus wins chaotic sprint at Tirreno-Adriatico as Tadej Pogačar secures overall victory

Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious) narrowly won the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico after a chaotic sprint finish.

The German arrived late to pip Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech) on the line, with Team BikeExchange-Jayco’s Kaden Groves finishing third in San Benedetto del Tronto. 

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished safely within the bunch to secure overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico for consecutive years. 

After winning Strade Bianche with an incredible solo attack last weekend, the Slovenian powerhouse claimed his second WorldTour stage race in as many months by a margin of nearly two minutes to Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).

HOW IT HAPPENED

A 159km circuit brought the curtain down on Tirreno-Adriatico for another year, as stage seven started and finished in the coastal city of San Benedetto del Tronto. 

The final day of this year’s race was a stage of two halves, with 70km of climbing kicking things off before the riders returned to the Adriatic coast and raced five laps around a pan-flat circuit.

Both Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) and Enric Mas (Movistar) didn’t make it to the start line on the final day, with the Giro D’Italia winner suffering from a virus that’s plagued much of the professional peloton lately.

Whilst Movistar confirmed that Mas wouldn’t start because he was still feeling the effects from a crash whilst descending on stage six.

It took just 4km for a breakaway to form, with Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè), Jorge Arcas (Movistar Team) and Manuele Boaro (Astana Qazaqstan Team) keen to try and spoil the day for the sprinters.

Only a few kilometres down the road and two of the few remaining sprinters in the bunch were caught up in a crash.

Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) and Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) were involved, with the Dutchman’s teammate Sepp Kuss and Mattia Bais (Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli) also hitting the deck.

Both Bais and Cort were forced to abandon due to the crash, with EF Education-EasyPost confirming that the Dane suffered a broken collarbone from the collision.

The escapees built up a three-minute gap over the early climbs of the stage, with Boaro claiming the maximum five points on offer at Ripatransone, the only categorized climb of the day.

With 70km left in the day, the riders reached the coastal road and began the first of five laps around the circuit at San Benedetto del Tronto.

Groupama-FDJ picked up the pace at the front of the peloton with 50km to go, hoping to reel in the break for their sprinter Arnaud Démare, halving the deficit in a matter of minutes.

It was Tonelli who won the intermediate sprint at 42km and with his work done for the day he was the first of the escapees to drop back with 15km left.

The bunch took their time to make the catch, but the Boaro and Arcas were finally brought back inside the final 10km. 

Israel-Premier Tech's lead-out train led the way through a tight chicane inside the final kilometre.

Yet a headwind on the finishing straight made for a chaotic sprint with teams like Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl and Groupama-FDJ nowhere to be seen.

It looked as if Nizzolo and Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies) would tussle it out to the line but Bauhaus came from deep with a powerful and well-timed sprint to snatch victory on the throw.

There was no change to the overall standings on the final day, with Pogačar being joined on the podium by Vingegaard and Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious), topping off a great day for the Spaniard's team. 

RESULTS

TIRRENO-ADRIATICO 2022, STAGE SEVEN

1.Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain-Victorious in 3-39-58
2. Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Israel-Premier Tech, all at same time
3. Kaden Groves (Aus) Team BikeExchange-Jayco
4. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Cofidis
5. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Team DSM
6. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
7. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) TotalEnergies
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
10. Matteo Moschetti (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1.Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates in 27-25-53
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma, at 1-52
3. Mikel Landa (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious, at 2-33
4. Richie Porte (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers, at 2-44
5. Jai Hindley (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 3-05
6. Thymen Arensman (Ned) Team DSM, at 3-16
7. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious, at 3-20
8. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, at 3-37
9. Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious, at 3-51
10. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Trek-Segafredo, at 4-03