The second monument of the year runs this Saturday as one more proof of the strange 2020 calendar that world cycling has faced. With just one week apart, the two will take place legendary italian classics that last Saturday they crowned Wout Van Aert like the king of Milan San Remo and this August 15 they will look for the 114th edition of Il Lombardy.
Strade Bianche, el “Fifth monument” opened an unusual classic “summer” season a little less than fifteen days ago and now this “Crazy” calendar you will see the legendary Il Lombardy search for the Dutchman’s successor Bauke Mollema, who last year topped the podium with Egan Bernal putting the finishing touch to his historic season in the third drawer behind Alejandro Valverde.
The history of Lombardy dates back to 1905 and since then it has only been suspended because of the second world war in two years. Not even severe coronavirus pandemic that today still plagues the world has been able stop at the mythical classic, scene of the bitter rivalry of the immortals Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi that divided Italy in the late 1930s and throughout most of the 1940s.
Duel of the Titans between Evenpoel, Van der Poel and Bennett
The new child prodigy of world cycling, Remco Evenepoel, leads the bets in what will be his baptism of fire in a unusual season of classics of “spring” in the full sun of August. The former footballer has “Cannibalized” all the stage events in which he has run in the season, before and after the stoppage due to the pandemic, including Tour of San Juan, Volta Algarve, Tour of Burgos and Tour of Poland. The Belgian aims to follow in the footsteps of his compatriot, Eddy Merckx, able to win grand tours and day classics equally, going from Criterium of Dauphiné to bet on your first monument.
Evenepoel will have among his main rivals to beat the other precocious child of world cycling, Mathieu Van Der Poel. The young Dutchman will seek to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps Raymond Poulidor, third in 1966 and 1967, who passed away late last year as legend and institution of French cycling. Van der Poel finished third last Wednesday in the Great Piedmont and out of the Top 10 in Sanremo. This Saturday the cyclocross genius will have his second round versus everyone’s favorite, New Zealander George Bennett.
The “Kiwi” Bennett will target a historical doublet of victories for him Jumbo-Visma when he faces this Saturday with the possibility of adding the crowns of Sanremo and Lombardy within a week, following the victory of Wout Van Aert last saturday at the “Super Classic”. The two monuments of Italian cycling that together with the Giro make up the “Holy Trinity” of a cycling country like few in the world.
The Italian “great cycling” will have on stage its two greatest stars of recent years: Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru. The great “Jaws”, champion in 2015 and 2017, should be the main hope of the “tricolore” but he aims to be more of a support to his squadmate and defending champion, Bauke Mollema, that the previous year surprised the cycling world with a huge victory.
In a second line of favorites appear the names of the recent winner of the Mont Ventoux Challenge, Aleksandr Vlasov next to Jacob Fugulsang (Astana), Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe), Michael Woods and the current king of the Tour of Flanders, Alberto Bettiol (EF Education First), while the runner-up of Greater Piemonte, Diego Ulissi will command the UAE Team Emirates seconded by the champion of the Tour of Spain 2015, Fabio Aru.
Departure in Bergamo in homage to the “Fenix” Felice Gimondi
The “Classic of the green leaves of summer” will have output in Bergamo, as a tribute to the great Felice Gimondi, a resident of this city and died in August of last year so the anniversary of his death will be commemorated with the departure of Il Lombardy that he knew how to win in 1966 and 1973. The arrival will be in the beautiful city of Como after 231 kilometers.
He Colle Gallo will be the snack at kilometer 55, followed by the Colle Brianza (K115, 4.3 Kms at 4.9%) to make way for the legendary climb to the Madonna del Ghisallo (K166.5, 8.7 Kms at 5.3%) at the top of which is the pilgrimage chapel of all cyclists in Italy and the world.
Finally, the survivors and hopefuls for victory will encounter another founding myth of Lombardy, the dreaded Sormano Wall, considered one of the most demanding sections in the world, a 7.2K wall with an average gradient of 8.4% at kilometer 180 to meet the last two obstacles before the finish line. He Civiglio from 4.2 kilometers to a brutal 10% (K214) and the end of San Fermo de la Bataglia (2.9 Kms at 6.7%) six kilometers from the arrival in Como.
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