Saturday 7 October, Il Lombardia, raced from Bergamo to Como, with 4,000 meters of vertical elevation, will be the last Classic Monument race of the season. The following day, the Gran Fondo will start and finish in Como, running mostly on the same route as the pro race with the climbs of Ghisallo, Muro and Colma di Sormano, Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia.

Como, 7 September 2017 – Get ready for a weekend of great cycling across 7 and 8 October on the roads of the Lombardy region. On Saturday 7 October the 111th edition of Il Lombardia will start from Bergamo and arrive in Como after 247km. The „Classic of the Dead Leaves“, the last Classic Monument race of the season, will run on the same route as the 2015 edition, when Vincenzo Nibali rode to a solo victory.

A very selective route with six climbs and 4,000 meters of vertical elevation. The first climb, Colle Gallo, is followed by Colle Brianza; and after the town of Onno the riders climb the Madonna del Ghisallo, followed by the Muro di Sormano. After passing the Colma di Sormano the race descends to Nesso and onto the last two climbs: Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia, before reaching the finish line on Lungo Lario Trento e Trieste in Como.

Lombardia presents the same route finale as the 2015 edition won by Vincenzo Nibali (Photo Credit: ANSA/Angelo Carconi).

The 25 teams (18 UCI WorldTeams and 7 UCI Professional Continental Teams) of eight riders who will participate in the 111th Il Lombardia are:

AG2R LA MONDIALE (FRA)
ASTANA PRO TEAM (KAZ)
BAHRAIN – MERIDA (BRN)
BMC RACING TEAM (USA)
BORA – HANSGROHE (GER)
CANNONDALE DRAPAC PROFESSIONAL CYCLING TEAM (USA)
FDJ (FRA)
LOTTO SOUDAL (BEL)
MOVISTAR TEAM (ESP)
ORICA – SCOTT (AUS)
QUICK – STEP FLOORS (BEL)
TEAM DIMENSION DATA (RSA)
TEAM KATUSHA ALPECIN (SUI)
TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO (NED)
TEAM SKY (GBR)
TEAM SUNWEB (GER)
TREK – SEGAFREDO (USA)
UAE TEAM EMIRATES (UAE)

ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI – SIDERMEC (ITA)
BARDIANI CSF (ITA)
COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS (FRA)
DIRECT ENERGIE (FRA)
GAZPROM – RUSVELO (RUS)
NIPPO – VINI FANTINI (ITA)
WILIER TRIESTINA – SELLE ITALIA (ITA)

THE GRANFONDO
On Sunday 8 October, amateurs will have the opportunity to ride on the same roads (starting and arriving in Como) faced by pro riders on the previous day. From Onno until the finish – the last 81km – the route will be identical to that of Il Lombardia with the Ghisallo, Muro and Colma di Sormano, Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia climbs before the finish line. Registrations are open on www.gflombardia.it

The weekend of cycling in Lombardy will be completed by an event for 15-16 and 17-18 year-old riders. The FCI’s Provincial Committee of Como, in collaboration with the Pedale Appianese Association and the ACSD Remo Calzolari da Moreno, organises the “54esima Giornata Nazionale della Bicicletta” (54th Bicycle National Day). A few hours after the start of the Gran Fondo Il Lombardia, two races for 15-16 year-olds and 17-18 year-olds will start in Como, and finish on the summit of Madonna del Ghisallo, 754 meters above sea level.

left, at the table, Marco Galli, Sport Counselor, City of Como, Loredana Poli, Education, University and Sport Counselor, City of Bergamo, Mario Landriscina, Mayor of Como, Paolo Bellino, RCS Sport Managing Director and Stefano Allocchio, RCS Sport Race Director

QUOTES
Paolo Bellino, RCS Sport Managing Director, said: “The weekend of 7th-8th October will be a weekend of great cycling. Besides e Classic Monument which celebrates its 111th edition, the Gran Fondo will give the amateurs the opportunity to race on much of the same route raced by the pros just the previous day. We wanted to create a two-day event to involve many cycling lovers, as we have already successfully done in the past for our other events – which have helped the area gain visibility and highlight its benefits. We believe that this is a winning formula and we want to replicate it in the future.”

Mario Landriscina, Mayor of Como, said: “We are proud to host this event, which is a well established appointment for our territory. It is a classic event in the cycling season which gives visibility to Como and represents a great opportunity for the internationalisation of the brand of our city and of our lake.”

Loredana Poli, Education, University and Sport Counselor, City of Bergamo, said: “In the last four years Il Lombardia has become even more a classic. In my opinion the route from Como to Bergamo enriches this wonderful autumnal race. This year, Il Lombardia will be even more important for the city of Bergamo; in 2017 our city hosted the finishing of a stage of the 100th Giro d’Italia. This, doubled up with the start of Il Lombardia, makes us feel even more at the heart of Italian professional cycling.”

Stefano Allocchio, RCS Sport Race Director, added: “This edition follows the 2015 route, when Vincenzo Nibali won in Como. It’s a very selective route with almost 4,000 meters of elevation – it will be a great show to watch. On the day after, the Gran Fondo will take place on some of the route of Il Lombardia, with the same last four climbs before the finish line: amateurs will have the opportunity to race on the same roads faced by pro riders.”

PHOTO CREDIT: LaPresse