How to watch Il Lombardia in Canada
The Race of the Falling Leaves gets underway on Saturday
The last big race of the year, Il Lombardia gets underway on Saturday. The last monument of the year is always hotly contested by pros with late season form, with its exciting run from Bergamo to Como. The 253 km has 4800 metres of elevation gain, and you can bet there will be flurries of breaks throughout the race to try and get ahead and hold the lead.
The final 55 km of the race has a series of tough ascents that take the riders througha sequence of Ghisallo, San Fermo della Battaglia, Civiglio and San Fermo, before the finale in Como.
Throwback to Paolo Bettini’s absolutely emotional Il Lombardia victory
The 116th edition of the race will have a whole whack of big names riding it. Every one of the 18 World Tour teams will toe the line, along with seven pro continental squads. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) will be there enjoying his sendoff into retirement, but look to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) to try and end the season with a bang.
French rider Romain Bardet has been riding well as of late, so could be a spoiler. Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) will be there in his regular kit, having passed the rainbow jersey to his teammate Remco Evenepoel. Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroën) could also be one to watch, having had a big win at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) had a good return to racing at the Tour of Crotia, so he could also have a big day in Italy.
You can watch Il Lombardia on Saturday on GCN+
