Godon takes Gran Piemonte victory

Dorian Godon produced a powerful sprint to claim victory at Gran Piemonte following a superb display of teamwork from Netcompany INEOS.

The Frenchman secured his seventh victory of 2026 in style as the Italian one-day event came back together in the closing kilometres.

Godon regained contact following the late La Morra climb and was piloted to the head of the race for the run-in. Axel Laurance played a superb lead-out role, dropping his compatriot into a perfect position on the tricky run into Bra.

Godon launched his sprint to overhaul Anthon Charmig (Uno-X Mobility) and Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana) at the line and claim one of the biggest victories of his career.

Netcompany INEOS worked hard to retain a foothold at the head of the peloton late on, with pacing work from Tobias Foss and Bob Jungels on the climb, before Kim Heiduk helped contribute to chasing down lead duo Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates - XRG) and Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe). In the end the race came back together with 1.4km to go, setting the scene for a superb sprint success.

Reaction

Dorian Godon: "I didn't have my best feeling today but the team did an amazing job for me to put me in a good position. And then the last 2km I just followed Axel (Laurance) and he went super smooth. I just gave everything after the turn - I was in third position and then I went directly [to the front]. I still had to recover as it was a super hard finish, but I gave everything and I'm so happy.

"[This year] the team has given 100% for me. I've had a lot more chances than the other years. When I have my chance, I think I'm good."