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Follow us on GooglePaul Lapeira won the 79th edition of the Coppa Agostoni. On the same day as the European Elite Men’s Cycling Championships, racing was also taking place in Italy. Following Davide Piganzoli’s victory in the Giro dell’Emilia on Saturday near Bologna, Lapeira claimed the win in a six-man sprint. Tom Pidcock was frustrated once again by tactical manoeuvres.
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The Coppa Agostoni covered 166.7 kilometres on Sunday, starting and finishing in Lissone. On a local circuit, the riders tackled the combination of Sirtori, Colle Brianza, and Lissolo four times.
Strong group caught by peloton
UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in particular, had several strong contenders with defending champion Adam Yates, world champion Brandon McNulty, and Jhonatan Narváez, but Tom Pidcock was also in the mix.
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In a relatively short race, it took a long time before a group was able to break away. Paul Lapeira, Nicola Conci, Mauro Schmid, Filippo Turconi, and Sam Maisonobe eventually formed a very strong group, but of course the peloton was keeping an eye on them.
The five riders never gained more than a minute, which allowed the peloton to catch up just as the climbing really began.
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Brandon McNulty
McNulty and Lapeira in a strong group of seven
Narváez and McNulty, along with Thomas Silva, Francesco Busatto, Filippo Zana, Pepijn Reinderink, and others, managed to break away in the early escape.
For a while, there was a large breakaway, but as the race neared the finish, the Colle Brianza and Lissolo climbs naturally thinned the field.
McNulty was in the mix in his rainbow jersey, with Lapeira, Schmid, and Lorenzo Fortunato also posing a threat.
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With 45 kilometres remaining, the gap between the seven leaders and the main part of the peloton was about a minute and a half. At that point, only the Lissolo remained to be conquered but after the summit, there were still a good 40 kilometres of rolling terrain to the finish.
Pidcock did try to break away from the peloton, but he was essentially fighting a losing battle.
Continue reading below the photo
Tom Pidcock
Pidcock Faces Overwhelming UAE Opposition
Pidcock managed get away with his attack, but already had two riders from UAE Emirates-XRG with him. This allowed Yates and Narváez to protect McNulty’s lead group.
Pidcock faced strong blocking tactics at the World Championships and in the Giro dell’Emilia. The British rider again found himself trapped
McNulty, Lapeira, Schmid, Fortunato, and the strong Sam Maisonobe of Cofidis reached the top of the final climb together.
They had a one-minute lead over the group with Pidcock, and Andrea Raccagni Noviero (Soudal Quick-Step) still in the mix.
Francesco Bussato (Alpecin-Premier Tech) was up there too, but soon fell back to join UAE and Pidcock.
McNulty not the right man for the job in the end
Eventually it came down to the top six—but would someone break away, or would it come down to a sprint?
It turned out to be the last one, with Lapeira taking the win. In the end, the UAE had the wrong man at the front—McNulty—to win in a situation like that.
You can access a full list of the results here.
2026 Coppa Agostoni Results
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
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Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
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Latest Comments
- - Un poco corto en la parte técnica de la bici de McNulty, no? Colnago nero con detalles arcoíris suena brutal — queremos más fotos, per favore.pedalpowe2902-10-2026
- - Demi finally gets her stripes! Team Oranje tactics on point again — recon, lead-out, and that patient regroup. Textbook. Chapeau.sprocketspiny02-10-2026
- - Wait, does the world champ jersey apply to all disciplines or just road race? Can McNulty wear it in a TT too, or is that only if he won the TT worlds?davidm02-10-2026
- - Brilliant coverage. The early flight back to beat jet lag is elite-level thinking. Those marginal gains matter before a punchy Euros course.samanthak02-10-2026
- - Not sure the “surprised everyone” line about McNulty is fair. He’s been knocking on the door all season in one-day races and TTs. Emilia in rainbows is going to slap.patriciaw02-10-2026
- - Love seeing the rainbow bands back on Slovenian roads. Demi looks sharp in that kit. Hope she gets a full custom bike soon, not just a tiny stripe under the seatpost. Come on, give the champ a proper paint job!cadencekingm02-10-2026
- - Quick one: why can’t McNulty wear the rainbow at Euros? Is it only for world champs from Europe or something about national teams vs trade teams?lindae02-10-2026
- - That Dutch masterclass was something else. Vollering timed that second move perfectly after the first dig didn’t stick. Proper teamwork — Wiebes and the crew deserve as much credit as Demi.julien02-10-2026
- - Boonen’s line about trusting teammates is gold. World’s is chess, not crit. Belgium tried to cover every scenario and covered none. Harsh lesson, but needed before next year.samanthak02-10-2026
- - Great read, but the piece leans a bit too harsh on Wout for me. He wasn’t at leader-level form, true, yet the team didn’t set up a plan B well enough. Segaert the bright spot, agreed.julien02-10-2026
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