- Jun 14, 2010
- 34,930
- 60
- 22,580
And now the end is near.
As we prepare the final curtain.
But one big day of racing still awaits.
The last of the monuments, the hardest of the 5.
A time to reminisce, watch some of the best action this thing of ours has to offer, and begin to look to the long dark future.
4 months of off season looking for Giro profiles.
40 years of wondering the desert looking for the promised land.
But don’t weep just yet.
The cycling season bows out in style.
We do it our way.
Weve had a season full.
Weve traveled each and ev'ry highway;
Races of all types across many countries.
With a variety of winners throughout. Unsung cobbled specialists triumphed in the in the North. GT all rounder’s with great recovery in the south. The Panzerwagen has totally destroyed the time trial scene. A sprinter world champion was crowned.
Not this though. This is for the one day climbers. A brutal course that drops anyone remotely unprepared.
As the first climb of the day makes very very clear.
Valico di Valcava. 11.7km at 8%
Yes you read that right. This isnt the Alpe finish in the Tour, its the first climb of the day at the Giro di Lombardia.
One day races dont do mountains.
This one does.
And in some way.
A obstacle 180km from the finish line would often fail to ignite action.
But the Valcio di Valcava is the hardest climb of the day, and one where certain favourites are in their greatest danger.
So if the pure climbers want to drop their hilly specialist opponents, they need to do it here.
Lombardy is far more than a 70k race with 200km added on. Even riders who hang on will feel it in their legs.
For this is one tough mountain to conquer. Like many of the legendary passes Northern Italy has produced, it gets harder as it goes along. It starts of with easy 2 and 3% grades for the first couple of kilometres before jumping into difficult 7 and 8% grades for the meat of the climb. Even the small restbites of 6% coming in and around the 7km mark are nothing to laugh at, but the climb gets tougher still.
Around 3km from the end it jumps into the very high grades. A kilometre at 12%. Another at 11. A maximum of 17. It only drops in the final hundred meters and even then its still 7%.
It would have made the first gt of the year proud.
A grand tour that took the riders to the absolute limit, that many are still to recover from
Lombardy does this job as best as a monument can. It does it very well.
The riders will need the entire off season to recover from this.
RCS knows how to make spectacular races.
Regrets, there’ve been a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
There will be a time to look to the future. To speculate, to predict, to make cq teams. Of new teams and races and transfers.
But this is not the time.
The riders certainatly won’t be thinking of the future as the peloton hits the Colma di Sormano. 9.5km at 6.6%. Another long tough mountain.
Theres a reason this comes last in the season. It would be useless as a warmup.
The Sormano doesn’t reach the high grades, but rather is consistent, offering no rest bite.
A second block of 10km climbing. One day racers aren’t used to this type of effort, and here once again the big favourite could be in for some big problems.
The brutality of this race is shown by the fact that despite paling in comparison to the by now conquered Valcalva the Sormano would still classify as a catergory 1 climb in the Tour de France.
A Tour which this year offered one of its greatest editions. The Tour of Lombardy is set to reach similar heights.
At the Tour the riders learnt that if they wanted something, they had to do it themselves. 15, 20, 64 and even 100k out, the heroes of the race decided they would reach out and take what they wanted, not rely on others to give it to them.
That’s how Lombardy is raced. Every man for himself. Attacks from anywhere could do.
That’s how its always been. You want to win the Giro di Lombardia.
You do it your own way
Weve loved, weve loved and cried.
Weve had our fill; our share of losing
It was in these parts, that the Great Walter Weylandt lost his life. It was as the eyes were set on these Northern Italian climbs that Xavier Tondo, hero to many died in a tragedy. Here at CNF we too have experienced loss. And the riders remember their fallen comrades, our fallen comrades, the sport and the cycling universe remember and honour them, as best as we can.
By continuing their legacy.
The next climb of the day, the Maddona Ghisallo, is exactly how its done.
The ascent and descent of this climb, which peaks at 45km from the finish is exciting stuff.
8.5km at 6.5%, should be enough to scare anyone, especially after 200km. But what is truly frightening about this little terror, is that those figures factor in a 3km descent. Take out that section and what you have is 2 massive ramps of 9.5% reaching an maximum of 14.
The nicely named Maddona, presumably after what Italians shout when they see it on the profile, is easily sufficient to launch attacks to which opponents just cannot respond to, as the race reaches its final phase.
While one name needs to be held above the rest, this is a race that can be won by any top climber if on form.
A number of the heroes from the Tour have put their names down on the startlist. The Ardennes specialists from April, will meet them head to head in battle.
And as the Vuelta and some of the Lombardy preview classics have demonstrated, there is a new breed of young riders, ready to challenge, trying to come in under the scene, that should not be underestimated.
Anyone can win this, and it can be won anywhere. Attacking cycling at its best.
Cycling knows how to finish a season.
Its when its closest to death that it feels most alive.
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When some bit off more than they could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
They ate it up and spit it out.
The descent is long and tricky, helping those who have broken away, maintain or even increase gaps.
It is followed by a 10km section of flat. 10km for grouped riders to work together. 10km of calm.
A silence before the final crescendo hits.
The short and steep Villa Vergano. To be climbed and descended before everything comes to an end.
3.2 km at 7.2%
Similar to the short steep hills one rider has dominated all year.
And deep down, everyone knows what will happen here too.
The race will end much like the season.
To think we did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way
Cadel faced it all and he stood tall
The record shows, Contador took the blows
But more much more than this
We did it Phils way.
As we prepare the final curtain.
But one big day of racing still awaits.
The last of the monuments, the hardest of the 5.
A time to reminisce, watch some of the best action this thing of ours has to offer, and begin to look to the long dark future.
4 months of off season looking for Giro profiles.
40 years of wondering the desert looking for the promised land.
But don’t weep just yet.
The cycling season bows out in style.
We do it our way.
Weve had a season full.
Weve traveled each and ev'ry highway;
Races of all types across many countries.
With a variety of winners throughout. Unsung cobbled specialists triumphed in the in the North. GT all rounder’s with great recovery in the south. The Panzerwagen has totally destroyed the time trial scene. A sprinter world champion was crowned.
Not this though. This is for the one day climbers. A brutal course that drops anyone remotely unprepared.
As the first climb of the day makes very very clear.
Valico di Valcava. 11.7km at 8%
Yes you read that right. This isnt the Alpe finish in the Tour, its the first climb of the day at the Giro di Lombardia.
One day races dont do mountains.
This one does.
And in some way.
A obstacle 180km from the finish line would often fail to ignite action.
But the Valcio di Valcava is the hardest climb of the day, and one where certain favourites are in their greatest danger.
So if the pure climbers want to drop their hilly specialist opponents, they need to do it here.
Lombardy is far more than a 70k race with 200km added on. Even riders who hang on will feel it in their legs.
For this is one tough mountain to conquer. Like many of the legendary passes Northern Italy has produced, it gets harder as it goes along. It starts of with easy 2 and 3% grades for the first couple of kilometres before jumping into difficult 7 and 8% grades for the meat of the climb. Even the small restbites of 6% coming in and around the 7km mark are nothing to laugh at, but the climb gets tougher still.
Around 3km from the end it jumps into the very high grades. A kilometre at 12%. Another at 11. A maximum of 17. It only drops in the final hundred meters and even then its still 7%.
It would have made the first gt of the year proud.
A grand tour that took the riders to the absolute limit, that many are still to recover from
Lombardy does this job as best as a monument can. It does it very well.
The riders will need the entire off season to recover from this.
RCS knows how to make spectacular races.
Regrets, there’ve been a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
There will be a time to look to the future. To speculate, to predict, to make cq teams. Of new teams and races and transfers.
But this is not the time.
The riders certainatly won’t be thinking of the future as the peloton hits the Colma di Sormano. 9.5km at 6.6%. Another long tough mountain.
Theres a reason this comes last in the season. It would be useless as a warmup.
The Sormano doesn’t reach the high grades, but rather is consistent, offering no rest bite.
A second block of 10km climbing. One day racers aren’t used to this type of effort, and here once again the big favourite could be in for some big problems.
The brutality of this race is shown by the fact that despite paling in comparison to the by now conquered Valcalva the Sormano would still classify as a catergory 1 climb in the Tour de France.
A Tour which this year offered one of its greatest editions. The Tour of Lombardy is set to reach similar heights.
At the Tour the riders learnt that if they wanted something, they had to do it themselves. 15, 20, 64 and even 100k out, the heroes of the race decided they would reach out and take what they wanted, not rely on others to give it to them.
That’s how Lombardy is raced. Every man for himself. Attacks from anywhere could do.
That’s how its always been. You want to win the Giro di Lombardia.
You do it your own way
Weve loved, weve loved and cried.
Weve had our fill; our share of losing
It was in these parts, that the Great Walter Weylandt lost his life. It was as the eyes were set on these Northern Italian climbs that Xavier Tondo, hero to many died in a tragedy. Here at CNF we too have experienced loss. And the riders remember their fallen comrades, our fallen comrades, the sport and the cycling universe remember and honour them, as best as we can.
By continuing their legacy.
The next climb of the day, the Maddona Ghisallo, is exactly how its done.
The ascent and descent of this climb, which peaks at 45km from the finish is exciting stuff.
8.5km at 6.5%, should be enough to scare anyone, especially after 200km. But what is truly frightening about this little terror, is that those figures factor in a 3km descent. Take out that section and what you have is 2 massive ramps of 9.5% reaching an maximum of 14.
The nicely named Maddona, presumably after what Italians shout when they see it on the profile, is easily sufficient to launch attacks to which opponents just cannot respond to, as the race reaches its final phase.
While one name needs to be held above the rest, this is a race that can be won by any top climber if on form.
A number of the heroes from the Tour have put their names down on the startlist. The Ardennes specialists from April, will meet them head to head in battle.
And as the Vuelta and some of the Lombardy preview classics have demonstrated, there is a new breed of young riders, ready to challenge, trying to come in under the scene, that should not be underestimated.
Anyone can win this, and it can be won anywhere. Attacking cycling at its best.
Cycling knows how to finish a season.
Its when its closest to death that it feels most alive.
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When some bit off more than they could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
They ate it up and spit it out.
The descent is long and tricky, helping those who have broken away, maintain or even increase gaps.
It is followed by a 10km section of flat. 10km for grouped riders to work together. 10km of calm.
A silence before the final crescendo hits.
The short and steep Villa Vergano. To be climbed and descended before everything comes to an end.
3.2 km at 7.2%
Similar to the short steep hills one rider has dominated all year.
And deep down, everyone knows what will happen here too.
The race will end much like the season.
To think we did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way
Cadel faced it all and he stood tall
The record shows, Contador took the blows
But more much more than this
We did it Phils way.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram