Il Lombardia 2022: parade of stars for the final Monument of the season

The 116th edition of Il Lombardia presented by Eolo promises an exciting spectacle, thanks to the top-class line-up that will see many great names in modern cycling battle along the 253km demanding route, from Bergamo to Como. Alongside Tadej Pogačar, who will be returning to defend his title, there are many contenders to the throne of the Slovenian rider including; Jonas Vingegaard (winner of the Tour de France), Enric Mas (Giro dell’Emilia winner), Julian Alaphilippe (runner-up in 2017), Bauke Mollema (winner in 2019), Jakub Fuglsang (winner in 2020), Matej Mohoric (Milano-Sanremo winner), Sergio Higuita (runner-up at Tre Valli Varesine), Damiano Caruso, Rigoberto Uran, Romain Bardet, Domenico Pozzovivo, Adam Yates, Filippo Zana (Italian National Champion) and Giulio Ciccone.

This year, a special mention goes to two cycling champions, Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde, who have both chosen Il Lombardia as the last stage of their splendid career.

The route of Il Lombardia presented by EOLO

Departing from Bergamo, the riders head toward Val Seriana for a short flat stretch before tackling a series of climbs in the Pre-Alps around the city. They will then climb the Forcellino di Bianzano (Valle Rossa), the ascent of Ganda, the Passo della Crocetta in Dossena, the Forcella di Bura and Colle di Berbenno. A short flat section will bring the riders to the area of Lake Como, and then ascend from Lecco to reach Bellagio, where they meet the classic climb of Ghisallo. Here, a climb with gradients up to 14% on a wide road with several hairpin bends. A very fast descent follows over long straights and ends in Maglio. As the riders reach Como, the race will cover a final circuit of 22km. After passing the city centre of Como they face climbing through San Fermo della Battaglia for the first time (397m), then descend into Como before crossing the finish line for the first time. About a kilometer later the tough climb towards Civiglio (614m) will begin with slopes averaging around 10%, before going back through Como to climb San Fermo della Battaglia for a second time.

Last km

The last 10km is inside the town of Como, following wide avenues up to a railway underpass where the climb of San Fermo della Battaglia begins. The slope is around 7% (max 10%) with a narrow carriageway and rough road surface. Around 5km from the finish, several hairpins feature before the top of the climb. The descent on wide, well-paved road meets two well-lit tunnels and two large roundabouts, and ends at the final kilometer. At 600m from the finish, there is a last wide turn to the left.

Tv Coverage

Coverage of the “Classic of the Dead Leaves” from the start in Bergamo to the finish on the Como lakefront, will be broadcast in full by RCS Sport / EMG tv production.

The event will be broadcast in Europe thanks to Discovery and its linear channel Eurosport and on the GCN+ web platform. Free-to-air transmission in Belgium will be provided by VTM Medialaan in Flemish and RTBF in French, while in Switzerland, cycling fans can view the race on SRG SSR. It will also be available on RSI in Italian, SRF in German and RTS in French.

Fans will able be to watch the race live on DirecTV in South America and on Supersport in South Africa. The race will be broadcast by J Sports in Japan, and available on the BeIN network.

In Italy, coverage of the Il Lombardia will first be broadcast on the thematic channel RAI Sport +HD, and will then move to RAI 2 for the last three hours of the race.

On Sunday, from Cantù to Cantù, the Gran Fondo Il Lombardia

The Gran Fondo Il Lombardia will take place on Sunday 10 October, the day after “Classic of the Dead Leaves”. The amateur sportive will start and finish in Cantù, and feature the iconic climbs of Ghisallo and Sormano in between.

Riders will be able to collect their race packs from the event village, opening its doors on Saturday. More information about the Gran Fondo Il Lombardia is available on the event’s website.