For the last three seasons, Il Lombardia has been Tadej Pogačar’s race. The UAE Team Emirates rider relishes the steep, punchy climbs around the Lombardy region of Italy, attacking them in his trademark, swashbuckling style with the kind of panache that his rivals can rarely answer to. This Saturday, the 118th edition of Il Lombardia will be held – the fifth of cycling’s five Monuments – and Pogačar, resplendent in his new rainbow bands, is looking stronger than ever. With his recent solo victory in Giro dell’Emilia, a key warm-up race for Lombardia, the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Enric Mas will be scratching their heads when it comes to working out how to beat the world champion.
Route
In 2024, the Il Lombardia route will be switched from back-to-front, with the 252 kilometre course being raced from Bergamo to Como as it was in 2020 and 2022. This change in direction hasn’t made the race any easier, however, with an accumulated total of 4,800 metres of climbing. Nicknamed ‘The Race of the Falling Leaves’ due to its autumn placement in the calendar, the weather could also play a crucial role in deciding the winner of Lombardia this weekend – earlier this week, Coppa Bernocchi was cancelled due to excess rainfall in Italy.
The climbing in Il Lombardia begins early, with the Forcellino di Bianzano as the opening ascent of the day. While this climb is relatively gentle, spanning 6.3 kilometres at an average gradient of 5.1%, it’s immediately followed by the more challenging Passo di Ganda, which is 9.2 kilometres at 7.3%. Two more climbs follow in quick succession before the riders are granted some respite in a flat middle section of the course. At this point, it’s likely that the breakaway of the day will have established itself.
Riders will race alongside the shores of a glittering Lake Como before turning inland as they reach the town of Onno where they begin climbing again. The iconic Madonna del Ghisallo follows, but the peloton will not approach it from their usual ascent from Bellagio, instead taking on an easier side which spans 6.3 kilometres at 4.1%. After another flat section alongside Lake Como, the riders hit the Colma di Sormano – one of the most challenging climbs of the race. There are ten hairpin bends in the first 4.5 kilometres, with the full ascent adding up to 12.9 kilometres, while the average gradient sits at 6.4%. The last kilometre ramps up to 9.1%.
When the peloton crests the…