LECCO, Italy (AP) — Joaquin Rodriguez of Spain bounced back from a defeat at last weekend’s world championships to successfully defend his title in the Il Lombardia single-day classic Sunday.
The Katusha rider completed the 150-mile route from Bergamo to Lecco, along Lake Como, in 6 hours, 10 minutes, 18 seconds.
Alejandro Valverde, a Spaniard with Movistar, was runner-up, 17 seconds behind. Rafal Majka, a Pole with Saxo-Tinkoff, was third, 23 seconds back.
The victory moved Rodriguez ahead of Tour de France champion Chris Froome for first place in the UCI WorldTour rankings. Froome withdrew from the Il Lombardia because of back pain.
A week ago, Rodriguez was headed toward victory in Florence, Italy, but was overtaken by Portugal’s Rui Costa.
