Strong squad to head to the last World Tour one-day race of the year.
The season is getting closer to a conclusion, which means it’s time for one of the oldest and most prestigious races on the calendar, Il Lombardia. The fifth and final Monument of the year, which our team won twice with Paolo Bettini – who took back-to-back victories – takes place this Saturday, when the riders will leave Como behind and travel to Bergamo, over a relentless 238km course.
The route will comprise a total of seven climbs, many of them featuring some demanding gradients: Madonna del Ghisallo, the first difficulty of the day, Roncola, Berbenno, Passo della Croceta, Zambla Alta, Passo di Ganda and Colle Aperto, the last of these coming just four kilometers from the finish.
Soudal Quick-Step will take on the 117th edition with a team consisting of Julian Alaphilippe, Andrea Bagioli, Mattia Cattaneo, Liège–Bastogne–Liège winner and Belgian Champion Remco Evenepoel, Fausto Masnada – who in 2021 became the first Bergamasque this side of the century to finish on the podium of an edition concluding in Bergamo – Ilan Van Wilder and Mauri Vansevenant.
“We are going to the start of Lombardia with a strong morale after the incredible week we’ve had so far in Italy, with victories at Tre Valli Varesine and Gran Piemonte. The route is very hard, all the time up and down with some difficult climbs, but we count on a strong squad that can really do something nice on Saturday and come out of the race with a good result”, said sports director Davide Bramati.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
