Enjoying
the Tour of Lombardy
Monday 22nd October, 2007
by Ed Hood
I remember, in 1992, watching Clas' Tony Rominger
win Lombardy, churning a huge gear along a straight, flat road to
the finish for kilometre after kilometre; even Duffers was lost for
words.
Como.
Looking north on Lake Como. It's pretty hilly
around here.
Like that font of cycling wisdom Viktor would say;
"Watchin' paint dry!" It's different now - the
finale is frantic. Ghisallo, Civiglio, Battaglia... there's no room
for error and no time to relax.
The new Cycling Museum entrance.
The chapel at the top of the Ghisallo.
It's 44 kilometres from the bottom of the Ghisallo
to the finish, beside the Lake in Como.
We watched it on Italian TV in the café
at the top of the climb, after we'd seen the real deal. For that afternoon,
the cente of world cycling is the Ghisallo.
Roasted chestnuts on a chilly October morning
- perfect.
Some of the worlds most dedicated fans (outside
of Flanders, naturally) are up there. There's the cyclists' chapel,
the cycling museum, and the views really have to be seen to be believed,
and of course, there's the race.
Tifosi at work!
It's like Stephen Roche says; "You can't
win the race here, but you can loose it."
Benito is a fashion calendar.
It wasn't Paolo Bettini's or Oscar Freire's
day today.
If you're not with the "capos" over the
top then you have to be a demon descender or there's no chance you
can win. Tosatto lead past us, but he had been in the break of the
day and was tiring; when Kroon caught him on the Civiglio - he was
finished.
Karsten Kroon (CSC) was sent up the road to
soften up the other capos.
Eventual winner, Damiano Cunego.
It's hard to pick out all the favourites in a situation
like there is on the Ghisallo, with the cars, motorbikes, spectators
and excitement, but I clocked Schleck, looking very strong, and Cunego
looking very determined. Sanchez wasn't having fun, but his fearless
drop off the top got him out of jail.
Daniele Nardello (LPR).
Steven Cummings in the Disco strip one last
time.
Russian Pavel Brutt (Tinkoff Credit Systems).
Aussie Matthew Lloyd (Predictor - Lotto).
Dario Cataldo (Italy and Liquigas).
Ricco was the man of the finale, but he's too extravagant
with his efforts - which suited Cunego just fine.
Unai Uribarri Artabe (Euskaltel - Euskadi)
Ronny Scholz taking a little longer to get
the bottle.
Coming into the sprint, it looked like the two
had blown it, but the chasers were messing around even more than the
two little fugitives and it was Cunego all the way.
But if Ricco continues up the curve he's described
this year, then he'll win a big one in 2008, 'for sure!'.
The course has to be seen to be appreciated. Apart
from the climbs, the roads between the ascents are small, twisting
and demanding of total concentration. "Monument" is the
right word for this race, it sounds corny, but there is magic in the
air.
Maybe it's just because I worship Tom Simpson,
but I've never felt more aware of his legacy or more admiration for
him than I did over the weekend, and that's despite the Italians ignoring
his brilliant win, in the museum and getting the date of his success
wrong in the race brochure - 1964 instead of 1965.
Talking of 1964, the winner that year was Gianni
Motta; who this year rode the Fonda around Lombardy on the Sunday
after the race. He was at the Giro too, one of the big banks had him
and Francesco Moser kitted-out in their clothing and they were around
the start each day for autographs and photos.
Tat for sale at the chapel.
Moser lapped it up, but Motta is a little more
reserved character. Scotland's Adam Syme rode the Fondo too, we tried
to catch up with each other on the Saturday night, but I was having
a nervous breakdown with Italian internet connectivity and failing
miserably to get my pictures away.
I rang him again early on the Sunday morning, but
his mobile was off - not surprising with a run through the mountains
of Lombardy with 1700 others, all mounted on the best bikes that euros
can buy - ahead of him. We caught-up with each other on Sunday, but
by that time I was in Tuscanny.
Fabio Casartelli's bike.
Apart from the traffic and internet hassles, which
I've already ranted about on Pez, I found the media coverage of the
race to be disappointing. The TV feed was late and coverage finished
very soon after the podium presentation.
Umberto Bossi, head man of the Northern League
- independence for Lombardy is the aim.
The Gazzetta's
front pages barely acknowledged the race and cycling coverage
is way-back inside; behind page after page of football and Formula
One.
For the Tour of Flanders, the Belgian papers have
eight-page full-colour pull-outs covering the route, past winners,
the favourites, and just about everything you could ever wish to know
about the race.
But I'm known to rant. This is one of the races
which makes our sport special, so if you're a serious fan, make sure
you see Lombardy and Milan - San Remo live before you die, you'll
thank me for this advice, one day.
It's over for another year.
