THERE was, alas, a terrible sense of inevitability about Max Sciandri's finishing post in Leeds Classic World Cup race yesterday.

Having manoeuvred himself into a winning position the Anglo-Italian conspired to give the race to exactly the sort of Italian rider who has triumphed many times before in the Headrow. Andrea Ferrigato, yesterday's winner, had won nothing of consequence in his career until he left Leeds talking about his best win ever.

Sciandri, winner of the race last year and a bronze medallist in the recent Olympic road race in Atlanta, came to the event with good form and enjoying the privilege of being Motorola team leader, with former world champion Lance Armstrong riding to help the born-again Englishman do the double, collecting water bottles form team car and carrying them up the bunch to Sciandri.

"Max was the leader today, so I really didn't mind doing that sort of thing - it's not a problem," explained Armstrong later, face reddened by the sun, the exertion and, quite possibly the shame.

For, in spite of his water-carrying duties, Armstrong also managed to infiltrate the seven-man leading group which entered the finishing circuit around Leeds city centre, but was forced to ride defensively with his team-mate in front.

On the final climb of the day the efforts of his team-mates had reshaped the race and Sciandri was in a winning position in the final select group of seven which formed after 120 miles. With four laps of a five-mile finishing circuit to go it was clear that the winner was going to come from this group and anyone of Mapei's World Cup series leader Johan Museeuw, Italians Davide Rebellin and Michele Bartoli, Ferrigato's team-mate Marco Fincato and Armstrong.

In the final laps, no one was willing to tow Museeuw to the finish line, such is his turn of speed so there was a plethora of attacks, feints, counter-attacks and efforts which got no further than 150 yards before they petered out.

Finally Sciandri instigated what turned out to be the winning move, and with 10 miles to go he and Ferrigato were out front and heading for a two-man showdown.

"I had nothing left, I had no strength and there was nothing I could do, he's fast," said Sciandri later.