Il Lombardia 2019
Il Lombardia 2019 is a professional one-day cycling race taking place on Saturday 12th October. Held in Lombardy, Italy, the race is part of the UCI WorldTour 2019.
Previously known as the Tour of Lombardy or Giro di Lombardia, Il Lombardia is the final race of the five Monuments - the five oldest, longest and most prestigious one-day races in professional cycling (the full five are Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia). Additionally, it’s traditionally the last of the major European races on the WorldTour calendar before the teams begin their off-season break.
The current title holder Thibaut Pinot (Team Groupama - FDJ). He beat 2017 winner Vincenzo Nibali (Team Bahrain Merida) and Dylan Teuns (Team Bahrain Merida) to take the win.
Il Lombardia 2019
Now in its 113th year, the Il Lombardia is nicknamed as the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’. Known for its demanding course, the race typically favours climbers with a good sprint finish.
This year’s race totals 243 km, taking the riders from Bergamo to Como - a very similar route to the 2015 and 2017 race which were both won by Nibali. The route includes the iconic climbs of Madonna de Ghisallo and Muro di Sormano, as well as the steep San Fermo della Battaglia leading to the 5.3 km drop to the finish. The total elevation gain of the race is around 4,000 metres of climbing.
Who will win?
Pinot, the current champion will not be racing this year, meaning a new champion will be crowned. A very strong field is expected to line up, however, so expect a close race.
Vincenzo Nibali will be itching to get his crown back and this year’s route suits him perfectly. In both the 2015 and 2017 editions, Nibali attacked just before reaching the top of the final climb before descending to victory.
He’ll be pushed hard by Julian Alaphalippe (Team Deceuninck - Quick Step), who’s had a superb year with a strong performance at the Tour de France. Additionally, Jakob Fuglsang (Astana Pro Team), Tim Wellens (Team Lotto Soudal), who came 5th last year, Philippe Gilbert (Team Deceuninck - Quick Step) and Alejandro Valverde (Team Movistar) will fancy their chances.
The strong line-up doesn’t stop there, however. Michael Kwiatkowski (Team INEOS), Michael Woods (Team EF Education First), Tour de France winner Egan Bernal (Team INEOS), Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo-Visma), Robert Gesink (Team Jumbo-Visma), and Mikel Landa (Team Movistar) also line up and will be pushing for a podium finish.