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Italy's Daniele Pietropolli produced a solid finish in the closing sprint stage of the Settimana Lombarda to secure overall victory in Italy.

Pietropolli came in 24 seconds behind stage six winner Luca Paolini, but it was comfortably enough to keep the LPR rider in top spot.

For Paolini, the sprint win represented his first stage victory of the 2009 season.

The Acque e Sapone rider beat Giovanni Visconti (ISD) and Miguel Angel Rubiano in a dramatic finish to the 153km stage from Montello to Bergamo in Nothern Italy.

STAGE FIVE

Domenico Pozzovivo (CSF-Navigare) won the fifth stage of the Settimana Lombarda in northern Italy while a third place finish for Daniele Pietopolli (LPR) was enough for him to take the overall lead.

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Pozzovivo staged a last gap attack to win the race's most prestigious stage, which started and ended in Flero, by two seconds from veteran Davide Rebellin (Diquigiovanni).

New leader Pietopolli was part of the seven man group headed by Pozzovivo with previous leader Alessandro Petacchi, (also LPR) well off the pace.

Pietopolli takes a 29 second lead over Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez (Barloworld) into Sunday's final stage which sees the riders make the 131km trek from Montello to Bergamo.

Rebellin moves up to third in GC after his second place finish in the stage.

STAGE FOUR

Alessandro Petacchi held on to the yellow jersey by recording his second stage win at the Settimana Ciclista Lombarda with a sprint victory in Vertova.

The LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini rider finished ahead of Luca Paolini (Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo) and Francisco Ventoso Alberdi (Carmiooro - A Style).

The 183.6 kilometre stage took shape when Przemyslaw Niemiec (Miche - Silver Cross - Selle Italia), Dario David Cioni (Ita) ISD and Clement Lhotellerie (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) made a break, stretching their lead to two minutes and 32 seconds at the 132km point of the hilly stage.

Cioni led the breakaway group, but Petacchi, along with team-mate and defending champion Danilo Di Luca had all but eliminated that gap with 16km to go.

The stage demanded the riders ascended the Category Two climb, La Forcella, three times, but ended with a field sprint that Petacchi won comfortably.

Saturday's stage remains in the mountains, with the 159km race to Flero including the Category Two Passo Cavallo and Category One Colle Madallena.

STAGE THREE

Mattia Gavazzi took stage three at the Settimana Ciclista Lombarda in atrocious conditions in Zongonia.

The 164km stage from Boltiere concluded with nine laps of a circuit in pouring rain and it was Gavazzi of Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli who had too much speed for Yuri Metlushenko and Theo Bos in the bunch sprint finish.

Dainius Kairelis (Ceramica Flaminia-Bossini Docce), Mariano Giallorenzo (Meridiana Kalev Chocolate Team), Christer Rake (Team Sparebanken Vest) and Eduard Vorganov (Xacobeo-Galicia) were involved in the main escape of the day and built up a lead in excess of three minutes only to be caught with 20km remaining.

Alessandro Petacchi retains the overall leader's jersey after avoiding a crash in the closing stages.

STAGE TWO

Alessandro Petacchi extended his lead at the Settimana Ciclista Lombarda as he won stage two in a bunch sprint.

After leading his triumphant LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini team over the line in the opening team time trial, the 35-year-old took top spot in the 160km stage from Brignano Gera d"Adda to Calcinate.

Petacchi had too much speed for fellow Italian Danilo Napolitano and now leads the Katusha man by ten seconds on general classification.

STAGE ONE

Alessandro Petacchi claimed the leader's jersey at the Settimana Ciclista Lombarda after his LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini team won the opening team time trial.

Veteran sprinter Petacchi led his squad over the line in 20 minutes and 54 seconds after an 18.7km race against the clock around Brignano Gera d'Adda in the Lombardia region.

Katusha were second, six seconds behind, with Rabobank (21:17), ISD (21:18) and Barloworld (21:20) completing the top five.

The 39th edition of the race features five more road stages with a mountainous weekend likely to prove decisive

Eurosport