The last monument of the year, the mythical ‘Il Lombardia’, will face the best cyclists on the planet this Saturday, except the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Bora), against a superior this 2024, also the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar ( UAE), infallible in the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, enough world champion and king of the last 3 editions of the transalpine stage.
The current king of cycling arrives on this 252 km route in northern Italy between Bergamo and Como, the city of the famous lake, also as the winner of the recent Giro d’Emilia, debuting his rainbow jersey that identifies him as world champion with full rights. . His dominance on the asphalt is, at the moment, immense, and in Lombardy he arrives as a favorite to expand his giant legend by trying to win his fourth consecutive victory.
Undisputed dominator of the season, the 26-year-old cyclist also wants to add his seventh monument, where he will equal the Belgian Tom Boonen, the Italian Gino Bartali and the Swiss Fabian Cancellara. The king in this sense is the legendary Eddy Merckx, with 19.
‘Il Lombardia’, the last monument of the year in its 118th edition, known as the “race of dead leaves”, is the penultimate event on the UCI World Tour calendar.
There they will try the seemingly impossible, to prevent Pogacar, the Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (EF Education), the Spanish Enric Mas (Movistar) and a Marc Hirschi (UAE) who arrived for everyone. the way in this season finale. The Swiss added his ninth victory of the season after winning the 77th edition of the Coppa Agostoni-Giro delle Brianze.
They are the surprise favorites without Roglic, who announced this week the end of his first season with Bora in a year in which, approaching 35, he ended with victory at Paris-Nice and his four overall victories at the Vuelta a España. His absence prepares the ground for a showdown between Pogacar and the Belgian Evenepoel, Olympic champion in Paris 2024.
The classic race starts in Bergamo with a short flat section before tackling a series of climbs in the Prealps surrounding the city. The real race begins with the climbs of Forcellino di Bianzano (Valle Rossa) and the climbs of Ganda, Colle di Berbenno and Valpiana, in a first series of climbs that make up more than 50% of the total career gradient.
The cyclists will come to Como and the race will change completely. Climbing Asso, better known as Onno, is legendary Ghisallo before the most difficult climbing route: the Colma di Sormano, 13 km with slopes of up to 11%.
Once the most demanding part of the monument has been crowned, it is the turn of the descent to Maglio. The last 10 kilometers will start inside the city of Como, where they will have to complete a closed circuit several times before the final climb, in San Fermo della Battaglia, with a maximum slope of 10% that will crown the champion . Pogacar or surprise.
The departure from Como takes place at 10:35 (+2 GMT) and the arrival in Bergamo is scheduled around 5:20 pm
Final winners:
. 2023. Tadej Pogacar (ESL)
. 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
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
