Il Lombardiathe last monument of the year, was presented this Saturday at its 117th edition with plenty of incentive to expect a great spectacle over 238 kilometers and 4,400 meters of elevation gain which the protagonists have to face on the journey that will connect Como and Bergamo.
Among them is the possibility that the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar conquered his third consecutive Lombardy. After winning in 2021 against Fausto Masnada and in 2022 defeating Enric Mas, the leader of the UAE, who has already won three of the five Monuments, He now wants to equal the record of Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi, in addition to becoming the third cyclist in history to win Flanders and Lombardy in the same year.
The “race of dead leaves” will experience the last great rivalry of the year with another Slovenian among the favorites, Primoz Roglicin his farewell to Jumbo Visma, who won Pogacar in the Giro de Emilia. But the Belgian champion will certainly enter the discussion Remco Evenepoelin fine form after his devastating final stage at the Vuelta a España.
Pogacar will face the challenge with extra motivation, because A third title would join him in the list of triple winners, where they appear Costante Girardengo, Gino Bartali, Sean Kelly, Gaetano Belloni and Damiano Cunego.
The trio of favorites are rising in the stakes, but there will be more candidates to put the last treat of the season in their mouths. Among them are Enric Mas (Movistar), second in 2022 and Mikel Landaalthough the Alava cyclist has not competed since the Vuelta a España, which ended the promotion.
Landa will share stripes in Bahrain with Colombian Santiago Buitrago, another contender for the podium. Nor should we forget the Ecuadorian Olympic champion Richard Carapaz (EF Education), second place in the recent Tres Valles Varesinos, attacks at the end in the group of favorites.
The list of registered people also includes names to consider, such as French Thibaut Pinot, winner of Il Lombardía in 2018 and about to retire after 14 seasons as a professional. The Lure cyclist will not lack for incentive.
The Swiss will also leave the UAE with aspirations Marc Hirschi second in the Agostoni Cup and fourth in the Bernocchi Cup, as well as the Polish veteran of Ineos Michal Kwiatkowski or the Russian of Bora Alexander Vlasov.
In the 117th edition of Il Lombardía Climbers will have a say from the exit of the town of Como. The climbs start at Madonna del Ghisallo (km 38), patron of cyclists, in the middle of the race Roncola (km 100) and Berbenno (km 129) await; and four severe obstacles will be chained together in the final part.
The hottest part starts with the Crocetta Pass (11 kilometers at 6 percent), then Zambla Alta, Passo di Ganda (9.2 kilometers at 7.3), and the decisive cobbles of Città Alta / Colle Aperto, a complex section just over 3 km from the finish line next to the city of Bergamo.
The departure from Como takes place at 10:20 am and the arrival in Bergamo is scheduled for around 5 pm.
.- Final winners:
– 2022. Tadej Pogacar (ESL)
– 2021. Tadej Pogacar (ESL)
– 2020. Jakob Fuglsang (DIN)
– 2019. Bauke Mollema (PSB)
– 2018. Thibaut Pinot (FRA)
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– 2013. Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP)
– 2012. Joaquim Rodríguez (ESP).
Source: La Verdad
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