Sunday, 9 October 2011

Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy) - the classic of the falling leaves

Intro



So we come to the end of the road cycling season, with the last world tour (protour) race of the season. For those of you new to the sport, do not be fooled by the name, this is a one day race, and therefore there will be no holding back. The Giro di Lombardia is a brutal as they come and is one for the climbers and one day hilly specialists, indeed only 34 riders finished the race last year. The route has changed this year (with the more cynical fans stating that this is to prevent Philip Gilbert from winning again), but the quality of racing should be the same.

It is well worth a watch! (On Eurosport at 14:45 onwards, live).

So what can we except on Saturday the 15th of October ?

The Racing




Above is a video of the final 15 km of last years race, hopefully it will give you a flavour for what the racing will be like. Similar to the World Championships, this race is rode aggressively, in contrast to many stage races. There is nothing to lose, it is a one day race and this race is at the end of the season and will be many riders last race before a nice (and well earned) holiday. There will be riders looking to prove themselves (usually younger riders), riders looking to finish on a high after a disappointing season and of course all the riders will be after the glory of winning one of the "monuments" of cycling. This race is also important for the teams, as it is there last chance to gain valuable "world tour" points, which are a large factor in deciding the category of the team (World tour or Pro-continental) for the next season, which will have a massive impact on the races they ride. The competition for these is tight this year, with an impressive new team coming into the sport (GreenEdge) and a few Pro-continental teams performing very well (Europcar and Geox-TMC).

There will be 200 riders, starting this year with 25 teams of 8 riders each. There are the 18 world tour teams (see here) and seven wildcard teams who are Pro-continental teams who have been invited to participate; these are Acqua & Sapone (ITA), Androni Giocattoli (ITA), Colnago-CSF Inox (ITA), Geox-TMC (SPA), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli (ITA), FDJ (FRA) and Team Europcar (FRA), all of which are good teams.

As stated numerous times throughout this article this is a race for the climbers/ hilly classics specialists. It is a race that can be and has often been won by long range attacks, both in groups and solo efforts. It is therefore an excellent race to watch. It is also weather dependent, with rain often making the race much harder (and usually with a lot less finishers) and making attacks on the descents more effective. It is not uncommon however for a group of 10-20 riders to arrive at the finish (within a minute and a sprint finish to decide the winner.


History



The Giro di Lombardia is in its 105th edition this year, having run every year apart from 1943 and 1944 (so I hope obvious reasons). It is held in mid-October (hence it is known as "the classic of the falling leaves") and is traditionally the last race of the road cycling season. Due to the large number of additions and it is amongst the most prestigious of one day races to win and is known as one of the five "monuments" of cycling and the second Italian monument. Unlike many monuments/classics, its route has changed a number of times, with different start/end locations, however it has always been in Lombardy and the climb Madonna del Ghisallo has always been prominent. The record for the most wins is held by the legendry Fausto Coppi with 5 wins. 

Route




As stated above the route has changed over the years, however the routes have all been similar in difficulty, i.e. hard. This is a tough race and this years new course is no exception. The pain starts early on with the Valico di Valcava, coming in at 62.7 km into the race. This climb will drop those along for the ride, because at 11.7 km with an average gradient of 8% (with an 11 % ramp for 7.5-10 km) it is hard. This will be a spring board for some early attacks, might succeed, an opening for less known but talented riders. There is then a few more km of respite before another climb (albeit less severe than others on the course) and then the Colma di Sormano at 141 km into the race, another tough climb it is 9.5 km at 6.6% and due to its proximity to the end of the race may be a spring board for a more serious attack from a top contender (no one is going to want Gilbert in contention in the last 15 km, far too dangerous).



After the Colma di Sormano comes the legendry Madonna del Ghisallo with its shrine to cyclists based in the church at the top of the mountain (the Madonna del Ghisallo is the official patron saint of cyclists!). It is a deceptive climb, which has always been a prominent feature of the Giro di Lombardia, and has been the scene of many great rides by legendry riders. I say it is a deceptive climb because it is often stated as an 8.58 km long with an average gradient 6.2 %, which is true to an extent (it also comes after 186 km of hard racing). It is actually a climb of two hard stages separated by a false flat and a small descent. These two stages are around 9 % gradients and the first stage features a 14% ramp. Crucially, the descent is similar, with some steep gradients, and it is a twisty technical descent. All of which, given this climb is ~ 50 km from finish, makes it a perfect spring board for an attack. As this is a one day race there will be attacks here for certain.



All of which leads up to the final climb, the Villa Vergano, a tasty climb which is positioned at 228 km (with 13 km to go). The race may have been largely decided by this point by the previous climbs, however it may not and in this case this is the final spring board for an attack before the flat finish. Riders such as Vincenzo Nibali, Samuel Sánchez and Joaquim Rodríguez will have to go here; especially if Gilbert is present (this is assuming he doesn't attack himself!). Again there is also the option of attacking on the descent especially if it has been/is raining.

 


Favorites

start list here

Philippe Gilbert



Well I suppose this one is obvious. Gilbert has been king of the one day races this year, becoming the second person (and probably the first one who was "clean") to win all of the Ardennes classics in one season (Merckx, Hinault never managed this!); those are Amstel Gold Race,  La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège and these are all held within one week. In addition he has had a TdF (Tour de France) stage win and yellow jersey, won San Sebastián, Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, the Belgium national road race and time trial championships and a podium in Milan-Sanremo. So not a bad season! He also has form in this race having won the previous two editions (which heralded the second, more successful stage of his career). His strength as a rider combined with his fierce acceleration and awesome descending skills make him the rider to beat. This however is also a disadvantage as he will be a marked man.

Pros - His excellent  (almost unbeatable) form this year, his excellent previous form in this race.

Cons - Long season, didnt have Vuelta as prepartion.


Damiano Cunego




A previous three time winner of this race, Cunego knows how to win this, he has also had a decent season with a well earned 7th place in this years TdF and narrowly missing out on winning the Tour de Suisse coming second (by 4 seconds !). He is a skilled climber and puncheur and if in form and with a bit of luck can win this race. Also has Scarponi as a team mate and therefore can play a good tactical game.

Pros - Good form this season and his excellent previous form in this race, strong team.

Cons - Doesn’t quite have Gilbert's acceleration.


Michele Scarponi



A team mate of Damiano Cunego, Scarponi has had a decent first half of the season with a win in Giro del Trentino, 2nd place over all in the Giro (Giro d'Italia), 3rd in Tirreno–Adriatico and 6th in Milan-Sanremo (impressive given it is usually a sprinters race). The second half of the season, however has been less good with illness hampering his Vuelta (Vuelta a Espana), a race for which he was a contender.  He put in a decent performance more recently with a 25th place in the Memorial Marco Pantani (11 seconds behind the leader). Last year he came 2nd in the Giro di Lombardia, with an impressive ride, foiled by a typically brutal Gilbert acieration on the final climb, with 5 km to go. As with Cunego has a team mate who is a contender and therefore can play a good tactical game.

Pros -Strong team, did well last year.

Cons - Poor second part of season


Vincenzo Nibali



Vincenzo Nibali has always been there or thereabouts in the "climbers" classic races, with 10th in the 2008 Liège–Bastogne–Liège and 8th in 2011. In this race he came 5th last year after a long season. Nibali is more geared towards winning and podiuming in grand tours, with a Vuelta win, two 3rd places in the Giro and a top ten in the TdF (at the impressive age of 24 !) than one day races (although his first major victory was in the one day GP Ouest-France). He is an excellent climber, decent time trialist and superb descender (one of the best) and therefore should be well suited to this race. His year has been mixed, with some good and some disappointing results, he gained a second consecutive 3rd place in this years Giro, showing some gutsy attacking against an in form Contador and decent classic results with 8th in Liège–Bastogne–Liège and 8th in Milan-Sanremo. His performance in the Vuelta  (8th) was somewhat disappointing, losing time on terrain he should have excelled at. His more recent results have been interesting, with a couple of strong attacks in the Memorial Marco Pantani 2011, only closed due to the flat circuits at the end. In the Giro dell'Emilia he lost 15 seconds to possible contenders on the final climb of Madonna di San Luca. The Giro di Lombardia is certainly a race he wants to win, especially after a disappointing season; in aid of this he also has the strongest team in the event. Basso (8th in this years TdF, two time winner of giro) along with super domestiques Sylwester Szmyd, who is probably the best climbing domestique in the professional peloton and Eros Capecchi, who is a strong rider (as anyone who watched this years Vuelta will know). The rest of the team is strong and showed their strength in the Giro dell'Emilia easily chasing down a break at 4 minutes over tricky terrain. I would not be surprised though if Nibali tried a long range attack to shake off the "puncheurs" (riders with good uphill acceleration - see Gilbert), he could also attack strongly on the descents.

Pros -Very strong team, did well last year, talented, exceptional descender, well prepared

Cons -Doesn't perform well in group sprints, long season, form not as good as last year.


Joaquim Rodríguez



Ah, El Purito, he has been so close, yet so far from winning a classic (a feat he more that deserves), he has a number of second places (at least 4 off the top of my head) in races such as the Ardennes classics, San Sebastian and the world championships in addition too many other podiums and top 10's. He has the skill and ability to do very well in this race, he is a pure climber (and awful time trialist) and has a ferocious acceleration (as shown by his two Vuelta stage victories this year) which can match that of Philip Gilbert (especially over 20 %!). He has had a good year with a 5th overall in the Giro, a 5th in the Critérium du Dauphiné in (addition to winning the Green points jersey and the King of the Mountains jersey), winning the Vuelta a Burgos. The Vuelta was a disappointment, as Rodríguez was tipped for the win (he came 19th) and losing the Green (points) jersey on the last day, the silver lining however were the two stage wins which came from steep finishes which suit Rodríguez's excellent acceleration. As for one day races, he cruelly came second twice to Gilibert this year in the Ardennes classics (Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne) and 26th in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Maybe this could be his chance...

Pros - Has exceptional acceleration on steep gradients,

Cons - No previous success here, has been beaten twice this season by Gilbert, didnt look good in Vuelta


Samuel Sánchez


Samuel Sánchez has a lot of previous form in this race, having finished on the podium three times with two second places and a third place, and he was sixth last year and a good record in the Ardennes classics, with several top 10 placings throughout his career. One of the highlights of his career was his victory in the 2008 olypmic road race, an impressive result on a tough course, indeed it is his one standout one day race result. He has also had 2 podiums in the Vuelta and a 4th place finish in last years TdF. He is one of the best climbers around, as well as one of the best descenders around, all of which stands him in good stead for this race. He has a strong team with the excellent climbers Igor Anton and Mikel Nieve amongst others (the whole team is good at climbing). His season has been decent, he won a stage and the King on the Mountains competition in the TdF as well as the GP Miguel Indurain, with good rides in La Flèche Wallonne (3rd), Paris-Nice (5th) and Vuelta a Burgos (4th). There is also extra motivation given his age, he is knocking on a bit at the age of 33 and he will not have many more years to contend in this races that he deserves a win in.

Pros - Strong team, exceptional descender, good previous form, good form this year.

Cons - Has been beaten in last few attempts by riders who werent as dominate as Gilbert is now.

Others to watch out for

Daniel Moreno – V. Similar to Joaquim Rodridguez, indeed in the same team. Has done well in hilly classics before with a top 10 in La Fleche Wallon. Has had a good season with 2nd in the Vuelta a Burgos and he looked good in the Vuelta a Espana. UPDATE – He has also just won the Giro del Piemonte, a key warm up race, that is similar to the giro de Lombardi.
Juan José Cobo – Has had an excellent year, with his expected win in the Vuelta, also has a couple of top 10s in the Giro de Lombardia and Liege in previous years.

Rigoberto Urán – This is a rider who will one day (maybe soon) be a major contender/ winner of this race. The supremely talented 24 year old managed to come 3rd in this race in 2008 at the tender age of 21! He has had another good year, with 5th in Liege and 3rd in both the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Giro dell’Emilia, as well as wearing the white jersey for best young rider in the TdF. Certainly a possible outside winner.

Jakob Fuglsang – A mixed year, he is starting to get the opportunity to work for himself instead of serving the Schleck brothers. Did quite well last year

Daniel Martin – Talented rider, who due to his allergies, has never been given the opportunity that he deserves to prove himself in the TdF and the other Grand Tours. He got a chance in the Vuelta this year though to hint at what he could do and rewarded his team with a stage win. A good climber who has the potential to shine at this level.

Thomas Voeckler – Good old Thomas Voeckler, with his gritty determination to hold onto yellow jerseys beyond the point where many would have written him off and with the ambition of trying to win as many TdF stages as physically possible. This has been somewhat of a break though year for Thomas Voeckler, with his excellent, well deserved and completely unexpected 4th place in the TdF showing a new side to this rider. However I guess that performance was no fluke and that it was more the much more clean state of the sport now that allowed him this opportunity. As he showed in the Worlds this year, he will always give it a go and with his newly found talent he could certainly win (if on his 2011 TdF form).



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