Intro:

Alejandro Valverde won the Roma Maxima one-day cycle race on Sunday (9th March) by just a single second.|

Script:

The 2014 Roma Maxima was the 74th edition of the international single-day cycling race.

The race was previously held as Giro del Lazio.

The 195-kilometre race started in the heart of Rome, followed a long loop south into the Roman hills before ending in the centre of the Italian capital.

Movistar's Alejandro Valverde secured a narrow victory finishing just a second ahead of the charging peloton.

Valverde and Domenico Pozzovivo led the race for the final 10 kilometres.

The Spaniard remained ahead of the peloton as the Coliseum came into view of the cyclists.

The sprint to the finish proved a thrilling one, as the group attempted to charge down the leaders with just 300 metres to go.

But Valverde managed to hang on to the lead, Davide Appollonio secured second place while Sonny Colbrelli came in third.