Let me cranck this up a notch..I actually think the field is stronger in comparison to previous years. Let’s be honest: few people make Lombardia a real goal the specially build up for. It’s just not ideally set on the calendar. Riders who went all out at the Tour, have difficulties finding motivation or form for it. Others focus full on the Vuelta or the WC. The peak is often over when Lombardia arrives. It’s the end of a very long season for most.
Very few are those who arrive at Lombardia in top shape.
Yes the names at the start might have been bigger in the past (yet to me it still is debatable) but again, they rarely were in top shape. So that doesn’t say much about the quality of the field.
This year is different: the new season just started, riders and teams trained and prepared hard in order to perform over these next 3 months. Those who don’t do the Tour have their first peak here. Nibali, Mollema, Fuglsang, Evenepoel,..They were all focused on this race. Other guys that will ride the Tour and want to perform there want to be in great shape now too.