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Nibali wins his second Il Lombardia title

Four triumphs for Italian in his first year with Bahrain-Merida

October 7, 2017
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Vincenzo Nibali capped off his first year with Bahrain-Merida by taking his second Il Lombardia title on Saturday. Nibali followed an attack from Thibaut Pinot on the race’s penultimate climb and then flew away on its descent. Winning the last Monument of the year gives Nibali four triumphs on the season, including stages of the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España.


The Route
The riders started in Bergamo and faced 247-km to Como, with the Ghisallo, Muro di Sormano (7-km of 9%) and San Fermo della Battaglia as the key climbs in the final 70-km.


The Breakaway
Right from the start in Bergamo, attacks flared off the front. Two riders got free and four others managed to join up at the front. After 40-km, the escapees had 10:00 over the peloton. First Cannondale and then Bahrain-Merida led the bunch.

It was all very picturesque stuff as the race rolled along Lake Como.


By the mid-way point of the race, the gap was 6:00. With 70-km to go it was time for the famous Ghisallo climb to the cycling shrine: 6.2% over 8.5-km, kicking up to 14% in the first kilometer. At its foot the breakaway only had a 2:30 lead after Movistar and Sky put in some work at the front of the field.

On the Ghisallo, the break fragmented, with Cofidis’s Matthias Le Turnier taking the lead before French compatriot Mickaël Chérel (AG2R) and Laurens De Plus (Belgium/Quick Step) nabbed him at the peak. Behind, a strong chase group bolted out of the peloton and linked up with the remains of the breakaway.

The daunting Sormano was close on the Ghisallo’s heels. Its final 2-km were 15.8% with a maximum of 27%. All three groups–the break, the chase and the peloton–were close as the race heading onto the opening slopes.


Chérel asked the two others to wait for the chase. However, he lit out on his own, Bahrain-Merida and Fabio Aru now at the front of the peloton.

Chérel crested 26-seconds ahead of De Plus, with only one other rider in the gap back to the peloton. Just over 50-km remained.

The Conclusion
Before the Battaglia comes the Civiglio. The AG2R rider in the lead picked his way down the descent of Sormano but poor De Plus suffered a harrowing crash.


In the valley leading to Civiglio, two-time winner Philippe Gilbert (Belgium/Quick Step) attacked with Italian Alessandro De Marchi of BMC. With 31-km to go and its number increased to three with Astana’s Pello Bilbao coming across, the chase was closing in on Cherél. At the foot of Civiglio with 25-km remaining a foursome led the greatly streamlined peloton by 20-seconds.

The break was swallowed up on the Civiglio, Dan Martin losing contact with the whittled down bunch. First Alexis Vuillermoz and Nairo Quintana tried an attack before Sky’s Gianni Moscon pulled away. Adam Yates trickled off the back. Sam Oomen of Sunweb joined Moscon. Once Pinot made contact with the two leaders, he bolted. Nibali led a chase of Rigoberto Uran and Quintana.


Nibali flew past a chasing Domenico Pozzovivo and tagged onto Pinot, the duo reaching the peak of Civiglio before Nibali dashed ahead on the descent.

With 10-km to go Nibali was 9-seconds up on Pinot and 44-seconds ahead of Uran. The Battaglia peaks 5.4-km from the finish and averages 7.2% over 2.9-km.


By the top of San Fermo della Battaglia, Nibali had a 37-second gap over Pinot. Uran was back in the bunch and Quintana made a bid for the podium. First Julian Alaphilippe reached Pinot, and then Quintana and Fabio Aru made the junction. Alaphilippe edged away to become the closest pursuer, but with 2-km to go, Nibali was still 35-seconds ahead.

Alaphilippe hung on to place runner-up. Moscon was third.


2017 Il Lombardia
1) Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Bahrain-Merida) 6:15:25
2) Julian Alaphilippe (France/Quick Step) +0:31
3) Gianni Moscon (Italy/Sky) +0:41