Benoit Cosnefroy won the Gran Premio Città di Peccioli-Coppa Sabatini on 10 September 2026, timing his response perfectly as Giulio Pellizzari’s bold late move finally ran out just 60 meters from the line. Cosnefroy took the finish after 197.6 km in 4h40’54”, with a 40-rider group deciding the race behind him.
The result gives Cosnefroy the 25th victory of his career and leaves Pellizzari sixth, even though the young rider had looked for a long stretch like the one most likely to break the race open. Pellizzari attacked 25 km from the finish, reached the leaders and then rode alone for the last 13 km, only for the chase to close the gap at the very end.
That is why the race drew attention in Peccioli. It was not only the name on the trophy, but the way the finish unfolded: a late solo effort, a narrow catch, and a sprint among the strongest riders left after a hard day on wet roads in Toscana. The race started from Piazza del Carmine in Peccioli and was presented at the stadio comunale with 24 teams and 165 riders.
What made Pellizzari’s move matter was the special Challenge Alfredo Martini classification, which rewarded the rider who gained the best advantage through the decisive attacking sequence on the final climb and the closing kilometers. By getting clear on the climb of Peccioli, then staying away alone until the last 60 meters, Pellizzari collected that prize even without the race victory.
Cosnefroy’s win came out of a day that kept changing shape. Ferron and Zoccarato formed the first successful breakaway at kilometre 48, before Battistella, Vlasov and Molenaar went again 48 km from the finish and opened a 30-second lead as the final three laps began. Rain made the early racing difficult, and the first hour went by at just over 44 km/h, but the decisive move still came much later, when the attacks finally split the race for good.
Behind Cosnefroy, Clément Venturini was second, Romain Gregoire third and Christian Scaroni fourth as the first Italian finisher, with Alex Deva Aranburu fifth and Crescioli eighth. Pellizzari’s near-miss is the sharp edge of the result: he did the hardest part, forced the race, and still lost the win in the final few seconds. That leaves the Sabatini with a clear verdict and a small gap of its own — whether anyone else can turn that kind of late pressure into a victory before the line closes again.
