Man, how the year flew by! Feels like it was only yesterday we were making predictions for Paris – Nice. And now, the pro road season is coming to a close, and ‘cross has already begun. (Btw, if you’ve not followed our coverage of the fall and winter cyclocross season, be sure to tune in. We cover all the big ‘cross series, whether it’s Exact, Superprestige, or World Cups. Reports, analysis, and more, with plenty of photos on Canadian Cycling Magazine.)
Anyway, back to the asphalt.
The final Monument of the 2025 cycling season rolls out Saturday, as the peloton takes on Il Lombardia — the “Race of the Falling Leaves.”
The parcours runs 238 km from Bergamo to Como, with nearly 4,800 m of elevation gain packed into the jagged terrain of northern Italy.
After a flat opening, the race hits its stride on a series of mid-distance climbs — Forcellino di Bianzano, Selvino, Colle di Berbenno, and Valpiana — softening the legs before the fireworks later on. The Madonna del Ghisallo, cycling’s most iconic chapel climb, marks the approach to the decisive phase. Riders then face the Colma di Sormano, nearly 13 km at 6.4 per cent, where attacks from favourites like Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel are expected. But watch out for Tom Pidcock or local Giulio Ciccone to get in on the action.
From there, the course plummets towards Como before one last sting: San Fermo della Battaglia (2.8 km at 6.7 per cent). Anyone cresting that climb with daylight behind will likely hold it to the line.
It’s no secret, I mean, it’s really, really, really not a secret that Pogi likes to attack exceptionally early, so he may do something wild. He used to joke about going away early, now he just says he will…and he does. Now that he has a new European champs undershirt for his rainbow jersey, he may be even more emboldened. But Evenepoel has been exceptional as of late, and is hungry to finally smoke the Slovenian in a one-day race. Who knows anymore.
Anywho, if you’re in Canada and want to watch Lombardy, tune into FloBikes.com. And be sure you check out Canadian Cycling Magazine for a report and (possibly) snarky analysis. And photos! So much photos.
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