Lombardia - The Italian Monument of Champions

Words Peter Easton // Photos by Photo Sport International

In the final moments of his life, as he descended the Col de Portet d’Aspet in the French Pyrenées during the 1995 Tour de France’s 15th stage, one can only hope Fabio Casartelli thought of his beautiful wife Annalisa and his infant son, Marco. The 1992 Olympic Road Race Champion crashed hard on the Col and died en route to the hospital. Th e ESPN broadcast on July 18th showed the grisly scenes of the wreck, and the thrill of watching a bike race was replaced with the harsh reality of the dangers of competitive cycling.

20 years later, Casartelli’s bike hangs in the small chapel of Madonna del Ghisallo, above Lake Como. Th e bike — with its gearing still in the 53x11and its front fork twisted from the crash — hangs as a memorial in the cycling shrine. The chapel of the patron saint of cycling honors both the joy and suff ering of cycling, and it is an icon during the fi nal Classic of the cycling season, Il Giro di Lombardia.

The Italian Fall Classic bookends the Monuments that officially begin with Italy’s Spring Classic, Milan San Remo. Lombardia is a far cry from its spring counterpart, as the cool air in March turns to the damp air of October. Th e blue skies and high clouds draping the stage for the opening act turn to low clouds and the smell of dying foliage as the season draws to a close. The expectations of that spring day have long been forgotten. At Il Giro di Lombardia, the early morning darkness that hangs low in the sky never warms that chill of the early start, and the mood reflects the end of the season, only hours away.

The finale of the fi ve Monuments of cycling is the sole Fall Classic, and as such Il Giro di Lombardia earned the nickname the Race of the Falling Leaves. It fi rst ran in 1905 as Milan-Milan as an idea from journalist Tullo Morgagni of La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian sports newspaper. It took until 1961

before the race resembled the hilly classic it is today. Originally known as the Autumn World Championships, when the UCI World Championship was held in August, the race has since paired with the Road Worlds over the past 20 years to provide an impressive closing ceremony to the cycling season.

It is also an opportunity for revenge for those who missed out on the rainbow jersey the previous week. In 2013, Spaniard Joaquin “Purito” Rodriguez stood on the second step of the podium in Florence, Italy, tears in his eyes as he agonized over how a sure solo victory and World Championship had slipped through his grasp at the expense of an aggressively charging Rui Costa. Rodriguez recovered in time to win solo in torrential rain a week later to collect his second consecutive victory at Il Lombardia. Though he lost the rainbow jersey, the performance in Italy secured Rodriguez’s second consecutive UCI WorldTour title. Besides the redemptive nature, there is also a spiritual aspect to this race, which is exemplifi ed by the Santuario Madonna del Ghisallo. Th e Gruppo Sportivo del Ghisallo, a sporting club with a mission that combines cycling, good will, and Sunday mass, runs this small hall of fame. People come to remember those like Fabio Casartelli, and to connect with others who see cycling as a spiritual as well as physical pursuit. The statue that flanks the grass between the chapel and the museum signifies the highest and lowest points of cycling — the thrill of victory made sweeter only by the bitter taste of defeat. Th e climb past the chapel is the centerpiece of the race — it is the moment that sparks the attacks and announces the contenders. Moments before the frenzy of the Giro di Lombardia arrives, the ringing bells of the chapel drowned out the buzz of the crowd.

Over time, Lombardia has undergone the most transformations of the Monuments, and its route is one of the most scenic. Th e drama that surrounds the peloton as it navigates the mountains around Lake Como is highlighted by the climb of the Madonna del Ghisallo before a last gasp, fast paced finale into the historic center of Como. Th at route links the beauty, history and culture of Lombardy to those great names of Italian cycling lore: Girardengo, Binda, Bartali, Coppi, Gimondi and Moser, names that keep the colors of fall intact for a fi nal day. The mythology of Italian cycling grows with the passage of time and generations of stories are passed down at breakfast tables and recounted in everevolving grandeur at the local cafés. As Italy crawled from the destruction of the Great War, sport, and specifically cycling, drew the country away from the horrors of battle and helped the residents return to normal life across the peninsula. Cycling was a unifying element. Costante Girardengo brought great joy to the Italians when in 1921, he became the first rider to win Milan-San Remo and Il Giro di Lombardia in same year. Alfredo Binda—Italy’s first World Champion in 1927 and the first rider to win multiple titles—was the fi rst to win Lombardy three years in a row from 1925 to 1927. The great Gino Bartali won the fi rst of his three in 1936 following a two-year race hiatus due to World War II. Fausto Coppi won four of his fi ve Tours of Lombardy from 1946 to 1949.

Paolo Bettini, the diminutive Tuscan nicknamed Il Grillo, was the last rider to win both the Italian Monuments in his career. He won Milan-San Remo in 2003 and took back-to-back titles in Lombardia in 2005 and 2006—the latter coming a week after his brother Sauro was killed in a car crash. Bettini crossed the line in tears while wearing the rainbow jersey that he won in Salzburg, Austria. He was the

fi rst rider to win Lombardia in the rainbow stripes since Oskar Camenzind in 1998.

The race itself holds great signifi cance in the autumn since it is the fi nale of a season-long competition that crowns the best overall rider of the year. From 1958 to 1988, this crown was known as the Super Prestige Pernod International classifi cation, which became the World Cup from 1989 to 2004. Th e title changed again for 2005 to become the UCI WorldTour. A full calendar of competition to determine the best rider in the world put much more importance on racing a full season instead of focusing on the Spring Classics or Grand Tours. One of the most thrilling finishes to this overall competition was in 1983, when recently crowned World Champion Greg LeMond was leading the Super Prestige Pernod rankings.

The then 22-year-old LeMond was hell bent on making a name for himself. Coming into Lombardia, Irishman Sean Kelly was the American’s main competitor. Th e man known simply as King Kelly had racked up 18 victories in 1983, including his second of seven consecutive Paris-Nice titles, the Tour of Switzerland and his second of four green jersey titles in the Tour de France. LeMond, knew he had to watch Kelly and knew how many points were awarded for the fi nal classifi cations. LeMond held a 45-point lead over Kelly and 30 over Italian Giuseppe Saronni and Dutchman Jan Raas. With 60 points awarded for a win and 40 for second place, LeMond knew he needed to be right behind the winner to secure his title. Raas, the big Dutchman, was of no threat and the pace early in the race showed Saronni’s vulnerability. Coming to the fi nish line, in what is widely considered the greatest sprint in Lombardia history, LeMond exploded to narrowly fi nish second. Th e victory belonged to Kelly, but LeMond still won the overall trophy, capping off an incredible season.

The current course of Il Lombardia is built for a climber. It has five significant ascents along the 260-kilometer route from Bergamo to Como. RCS Sports, the organizer of the race, said the course will alternate start and fi nish locations between Como and Bergamo until 2017. In 2015, the fi nish returns to Como for the first time in three years, and this reinstates the climb of Madonna del Ghisallo to a crucial location in the race.

This year, the Ghisallo will again be the centerpiece. It will create a select group of riders before they scale the Muro di Sormano. This tough ascent precedes a hail of cobbles and the narrow climb of the San Fermo della Battaglia. Th is is where three-time champion Damiano Cunego left his rivals and charged to solo victories in 2004, 2007 and 2008. In 2010, Philippe Gilbert climbed the Battaglia in near darkness as the headlights of the follow cars kept riders barely visible in the afternoon fog and rain. Gilbert would fi nish 12 seconds ahead of his rivals to claim his second Lombardia title.

When the peloton lines up for Lombardia on the historic streets of Bergamo on October 4th, we will know who the World Champion is, as his rainbow kit colors roll to the start line under the “Partenza” banner. We will know who has been crowned the final Grand Tour champion at the Vuelta a España. We will know the main protagonists in search of winning the overall title of the UCI WorldTour. Th e fi nal unknown of the season will play out across the mountains of Lombardia, alongside the lake, and up the roads of the Ghisallo. Perhaps it will be Rodriguez again, looking to cement his legacy alongside the great Italians as a three-time winner and a UCI WorldTour Champion. Will he need a finish like LeMond, or will he establish a legacy like Kelly’s? Perhaps he will chase the ghosts of Coppi, Binda or Girardengo. As the curtain closes on the 2015 season, Il Giro di Lombardia, for the 108th time, will tell the fi nal chapter of cycling’s annual story.