Season ends on Saturday at Giro di Lombardia
The road racing season will officially end this Saturday in the Northern Italian classic, the Giro di Lombardia, for the three month off-season before January’s Tour Down Under. The historical ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’ is a true and beautiful Italian
classic through the forested hills of Lombardy and around Lake Como, a fine post-Worlds, season-closing race for many riders.
"I am really honoured to show my world champion's jersey," said world champion Thor Hushovd. "Lombardia will be the last race in the history of Cervélo TestTeam, and it is a privilege to line up together with my team mates with the jersey on my shoulders."
Hushovd debuted his champion’s jersey at Thursday’s Gran Piemonte, which was won by Philippe Gilbert, the pre-race favourite for the World Championships and now a strong favourite for Lombardia. Gilbert, the defending champion, is not the only rider looking
to make up for disappointment after the Worlds.
“I’m most worried about the descent after the Colma di Sormano,” said Gilbert. “My rivals? [Cadel] Evans, [Alexandr] Kolobnev, above all, then [Vincenzo] Nibali and [Giovanni] Visconti.”
The race, founded in 1905, has had its route tweaked and its difficulty increased. The Lombardy Regional Council has moved the start from Varese to Milan, beneath the new council office buildings. The first 60 of the 260 kilometres from Milan to the climb
of the Madonna del Ghisallo will bring the peloton to the edge of Lake Como and the next 140km wrap around the lake. The finale 60km begins with the climb of the San Fermo di Battaglia, which the riders will have passed when they first reached the lake, then
descends to the foot of the Madonna del Ghisallo, a breathtaking climb near Bellagio which is also the sight of a modern cycling museum.
With most of the top riding starting the 2011 season with a new team, this will be the last race for many riders to compete with their current teams. Timmy Duggan, arguably the top American in the race, will be riding his last time with Garmin before his
transfer to Liquigas. Duggan has been riding for Jonathan Vaughters since 2005, so Saturday will be a major turning point for him.
"Each team has its own culture and going from Garmin to an Italian team will be a big change but I’m excited and motivated about it,” said Duggan. “The biggest thing is that the team operates like a big family, on and off the bike, they’re there for each
other and have each other’s back. That’s something we have at Garmin and it’s something that’s really important to me."
Dan Martin and Vincenzo Nibali will also be trying to capitalize on good form in Lombardia. Martin, of team Garmin, finished second in the recent Giro dell’Emilia and pointed to the results sheet from that race, the Gran Piemonte and Sunday’s GP Beghelli
to see who is ready for the final race.
"Lombardia's such a long race,” said Martin. “The weather could play a part, you've got to have luck and at this stage of the year things can be different from day to day. Hopefully things fall into place next weekend and I can get a good result out of it.
If not I've had a great season anyway so I'm going into it with no pressure."
If recent victories are any indication, Vuelta a Espana winner Nibali will stand as a strong favourite alongside Gran Piemonte winner Gilbert and world champion Hushovd. Nibali has already said he is in the best condition physically and mentally, but he
also knows who to watch for.
“There's still a Classic missing on my palmarès: Saturday could be the right day," said Nibali. “There will be plenty of candidates for the win, from Gilbert to Kolobnev, from Evans to [Andy] Schleck. I expect that many riders will be motivated to win, so
I can't underestimate anyone."
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