Cyclist
Opinion: Il Lombardia shouldn’t be a Monument in its current form
Il Lombardia, or the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’, holds a reputation as cycling’s most forgotten Monument. With the rise of Strade Bianche and other stellar one-day races in the spring, it’s getting harder to justify Il Lombardia’s status as one of cycling’s hallowed five Monuments.
This year, the course of the Italian Monument will change again, meaning that the past three editions of the race have followed completely different routes. This most likely won’t change the winner on Saturday, which looks almost certain to be Tadej Pogačar.
Looking past the race’s 119-year history, should it be a given that Il Lombardia is a Monument? Without a women’s race, no set route and a late-season placement, is it time to rescind Il Lombardia’s membership to the Monument club?
The odd one out
Il Lombardia sticks out like a sore thumb in the cycling calendar. While the other four Monuments take place in March and April, Lombardia hangs about at the back of the cycling calendar in the depths of autumn. It’s always been this way. The race even took on the unofficial title of the ‘Autumn World Championships’ until the UCI moved that event to September.
All in all, Il Lombardia feels more like the last day of school than a Monument race. The riders are tired, report cards are already written and there’s a blasé ambience similar to the fatigued but stress-free Friday before the summer holidays. Contracts are sealed, rankings unmoved and some stars have already called it quits on their season by the time Lombardia even rolls around.
To me, it feels strange that Il Lombardia never moved to a springtime slot alongside the other Monuments. Yes, the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’ nickname would need a rethink, but moving its place in the calendar seems like a no-brainer for the race to gain more attention. A spring slot would also capitalise on the peloton’s collective Classics wave of form and interest.
You could argue that the late-season slot has given the Italian race a special edge over its competitors. However, when all the other Monuments are back-to-back in the spring they have everyone’s attention. Il Lombardia is the outcast of the Monument clique.
Parcours inconsistency
The Il Lombardia route doesn’t enjoy the same Monumental esteem as its spring counterparts either. Como and Bergamo alternate the hosting rights, and no two Il Lombardia routes appear to be the same. This consistency should be key to having Monument status. Part of the Monument experience is knowing what you’re getting on the day.
The start city alternates each year and the race length and elevation gain aren’t as consistent as they should be. This would never happen to the other Monuments. They have their routes under lock and key, protecting their legendary honour.
There’s no star factor in Il Lombardia’s route. There’s no Poggio, Trouée d’Arenberg or Oude Kwaremont. Perhaps this will come if the route designers stop being so fickle about the Monument’s parcours every year. This race is supposed to be for the climbers. Well, this is an open goal to make some of these climbs hallowed in cycling, have them feature every year. No climb in Lombardia is on the same level as a Paris-Roubaix pavé sector or Tour of Flanders berg.
Let’s pitch some ideas out there for solving this issue. Let’s help Lombardia become a ‘real’ Monument.
Start by fixing the start and finish location for the race. This would halt this alternating tradition the race has picked up. We want to be on first-name terms with a Monument and refer to the start and finish locations instinctively instead of having to scramble through a roadbook to make sure we’re getting it right.
The Muro di Sormano and Madonna del Ghisallo should be yearly staples. The cobbled Colle Aperto climb should be the final challenge of the race every year. Remember those scenes from the Virage Pinot? That was there. Like the other Monuments, Il Lombardia should follow a finely crafted final 50km that remains unchanged each year. Then, we can finally see some consistency in this race.
Yes, I appreciate that cycling’s other Monuments have undergone slight changes. Only five years ago, Liège-Bastogne-Liège ditched the Côte de Ans finish in favour of a city centre arrival via the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. Even the Tour of Flanders has received a facelift in the past 20 years with a reshuffled finish that now stands the test of time in Oudenaarde. However, Il Lombardia needs to stop being so indecisive and nail down a route for good.
Where’s the prestige? Where’s the grandeur?
Il Lombardia feels like the Monument with the least amount of grandeur.
There’s no Flanders-Roubaix double or Ardennes Triple Crown tagged involving Il Lombardia. It’s not just an afterthought for riders, it’s a footnote for the statisticians. Who’s won the most editions of Il Lombardia? Not sure? Me neither. Who won this race back in 2015? Who finished on the podium here in 2018? You’re forgiven for not knowing. It’s more of a University Challenge answer rather than cycling common knowledge.
This isn’t even about the race day itself, but Lombardia lacks the same cycling pizzazz and anticipation that the other Monuments boast. Paris-Roubaix is underlined in big red pen on the cycling calendar, Milan-San Remo is considered one of the most exciting finales in world cycling, while the Tour of Flanders offers some of the wildest crowds in the sport.
The Giro d’Italia visits Lombardy often. Not just that, the parcours has been ripped off by the Giro three times in the past seven years. Where was the buzz for this? Can I dare mention that the Strade Bianche-style Giro stages have generated more traction and excitement than a return to the Colle Aperto. What does that say about Lombardia’s place in the sport?
We need a women’s race
With the announcement of a rebooted women’s Milan-San Remo, Il Lombardia is the only one of the five Monuments in men’s cycling to not offer a women’s equivalent. If Il Lombardia is looking to match the others, then a women’s race is a necessity. It reflects pretty poorly on the men’s race now given that there’s no racing on offer for the women.
How hard can it be? The road closures are already in place for the men. The women could therefore use a similar route earlier in the day. Similarly, the host towns should also relish the chance to host two bike races in one day. The places along the route are already prepared for a bike race, the sponsor boards are stapled up, so why choose to strike out the chance of women’s equivalent?
Perhaps this will come in time. The organiser RCS also runs Milan-San Remo. Perhaps with the pilot edition of the women’s Classicissima in 2025 under their belt, it might consider giving Il Lombardia its own women’s race too.
Raining on their parade
I don’t know what Il Lombardia did to me to deserve this treatment, but I guess that’s the point, it didn’t do anything. It just feels like an afterthought to all of us: the riders, the media and the fans. Does it really deserve Monument status? I’m hesitant to say yes. If anything, there’s a strong argument to be had that Strade Bianche is more worthy of Monument status these days. History aside, it makes far more sense.
It’s tough to argue that Lombardia’s place in the pro cycling psyche hasn’t slipped in the past decade. The race feels more like a victory lap for the peloton instead of a real top-level Monument. For many riders, it’s just a parade before they transfer to a new team, go on holiday, or even bow out of the sport altogether. It’s not a race of gladiatorial clashes like we are so used to seeing in the spring Monuments.
Race organisers, if you’re reading, take note. Formulate a fixed route instead of spinning a wheel of fortune each year. Add a women’s race under the Lombardia guise. Finally, start looking at how to carve yourself a USP. Maybe it is the autumn slot, but stay true to it being the climber’s Classic. Maybe once that’s all factored in, Lombardia might overtake Strade Bianche in the hierarchy.
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