Next stop in Italy is the GP Bruno Beghelli, a hilly 1.1 classic. Last year, the race was won by Matthew Lloyd, out of the BOTD.
The route
The race starts with a flat part, followed by 6 laps at a closed circuit near Monteveglio, in the region Emilia-Romagna, with a 4km climb (the Zappolino) in it with an average gradient of 7%. And still, this is classified as a flat race.
The favourites *** Fabio Felline (Nespresso), Yaroslav Popovych (D'Angelo), Andy Schleck. ** Daniele Callegarin (Team Type 1), Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil), Domenico Pozzovico (Colnago). * Eros Capecchi (Liquigas), Leonardo Pinizzotto (Pisanellastoria), Emanuele Sella (Lampre).
The race
The BOTD is caught before the last ascend of the Zappolino. The pace set by our guys is high while ascending the Zappolino, untill 1 kilometre before the summit, when Andy Schleck launches his attack. He arrives at the summit with a margin of 30 seconds to a group of 15. In the descend, 31 more riders join the chase group, with the gap to the leader getting smaller and smaller. Schleck starts to sprint but is running out of energy. And only 300metres before the finish, he gets overtaken by Yaroslav Popovych, the man in form. Popovych easily wins the sprint, his 2nd win within a weeks time! The 2nd place goes to Cristiano Benenati (De Rosa) and the 3rd to Pavel Zitta (PSK). Andy finishes in 7th, and Gregory Bernard in 12th.
Results
1
Yaroslav Popovych
D'Angelo & Antenucci - Nippo
4h30'51
2
Cristiano Benenati
De Rosa - Ceramica Flaminia
s.t.
3
Pavel Zitta
PSK Whirlpool - Author
s.t.
4
Marco Corti
Nespresso - Algarve
s.t.
5
Dominic Klemme
Red Bull - Cervélo
s.t.
6
Sergey Lagutin
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
7
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
8
Stijn Devolder
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
9
Francesco De Bonis
Amore & Vita
s.t.
10
Gerald Ciolek
Red Bull - Cervélo
s.t.
The winner
Word from the DS
Without a good sprinter in the team today, we had to try it with an attack. Good job by Andy, but his low fitness level has costed him the win.
The favourites *** Daniele Callegarin (Team Type 1), Andy Schleck, Alejandro Valverde (Colnago). ** Juan José Cobo (Nespresso), Thomas De Gendt, Domenico Pozzovivo (Colnago). * Matteo Cattaneo (Farnese Vini), Robert Gesink, Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil).
Our goals
We have send our strongest possible hilly riders, so despite the low fitness of them all, a top 3 should be possible!
The race
And again, Andy Schleck attacks just before the summit of the last climb. He creates a gap of 20 seconds to a chasing group, and again, he gets caught before the finish (today 1.5km before it).
But in contrary to the GP Bruno Beghelli, he isn't leading the race. Astana's Tadej Valjavec is the only one out of the BOTD that can stay in the lead, and wins Milano - Torino. A great effort by the 36-year-old Slovenian. '29 behind, Fabio Felline sprints to the 2nd place, followed by Joost van Leijen (Vacancoleil) and Thomas De Gendt. The team performance was great today, with 4 guys in the top 10.
Results
1
Tadej Valjavec
Pro Team Astana
4h54'51
2
Fabio Felline
Nespresso - Algarve
+ 29
3
Joost Van Leijen
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team
s.t.
4
Thomas De Gendt
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
5
Thomas Peterson
Itera - Katusha
s.t.
6
Mattia Cattaneo
Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli
s.t.
7
Wilco Kelderman
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
8
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
9
Alessandro Proni
Acqua & Sapone
s.t.
10
Thomas Dekker
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
The winner
Word from the DS
Again, we showed some attacking riding. And again, didnt get rewarded for it. So, only Il Lombardia left this year!
I almost forgot, but we also participated in the Tour of Beijing. And I simulated this 5-stage World Tour race, as I didn't feel like playing it. Last year, Philippe Gilbert won it, and he is the favourite to win it again.
Word from the DS
the win in the hilly stage brought Gilbert the GC-win, just as last year. Further, the sprints were dominated by Mark Cavendish, winning all 3 mass sprints.
We as a team, did a decent simulated job. A 2nd for Bobridge in the ITT, and a 10th for him in the GC (and 11th for Gesink and 13th for Maaskant).
The closening of the cycling season 2013 is the 107th edition of Il Lombardia, also called la corsa delle foglie morte (the race of the falling leaves). The 260 kilometre long race around Lake Como is with 3478 height metres and after a long season, probably the most difficult of all the 5 cycling monuments. Only the best riders can win here. Fausto Coppi is the record winner with 5 wins ('46, '47, '48, '49, '54), followed by Alfredo Binda with 4 ('25, '26, '27, '31) and a group, including Damiano Cunego ('04, '07, '08) and Philippe Gilbert ('09, '10, '12) as the still active riders, with 3 wins.
The route
As said before, the route is 260 kilometres long and features 5 big climbs. In the beginning of the race awaits the Salita d'Intelvi (9.0km at 6.0%, summit at 192km), halfway the Loc. Partone (6.5km at 4.9%, summit at 142km), and in the final part of the race first the Madonna del Ghisallo (10.9kmat 5.0%, summit at 53km), followed by the Colma di Sormano (9.4km at 6.5%, summit at 39km) and finally the San Fermo della Battaglia (2.2km at 8.7%, summit at 4km).
The favourites *** Joaquím Rodríguez (Katusha), Andy Schleck, Giovanni Visconti (BMC). ** Igor Antón (Euskaltel), Simon Gerrans (Qantas), Enrico Gasparotto (Lampre). * Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank), Cadel Evans (Katusha), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin).
Our goal
Although the fitness level of our riders is pretty low (Schleck 72), we think that this also counts for our opponents. So we'll aim high, and go for a top 3.
110km to go
Already with the half of the race done, and the easy part, a very strong BOTD is formed. 6 riders have a margin of 3 minutes to the peloton, all of them with hilly stats over 74: Jackson Rodriguez (Androni, 74), Andrea Masciarelli (Acqua et Sapone, 75), Christophe Riblon (Garmin, 75), Franco Pellizotti (Lampre, 77), Vasil Kiryienka (Astana, 78) and Ben Hermans (Radio Shack, 80) are the ones. The pace in the peloton is high as well, because it'll be kkind of foolish to let these 6 guys ride away for minutes.
53km to go
BMC is the team that works hard in the chase, and on the flat part towards the foot of the Madonna del Ghisallo, we join them. As a result, the 6 get caught early in the ascend of the Ghisallo. The pace while climbing is too high, so no attacks occur. 47 riders arrive at the summit of the Ghisallo, just having passed the famous church, in the first group. Some big names have already lost contact and will never return to the first group, among them Froome, LL Sánchez, D.Moreno, Gerrans and Daniel Martin.
39km to go
After a short descend, the next climb awaits, the Colma di Sormano. This time, the riders don't have to climb the horrible Muro di Sormano, with gradients up to 27%!
Cadel Evans is setting the pace in the ascend towards the highest point of this Lombardia, serving as a luxury domestique for Purito. Consequently, the first group is thinning out and only 24 riders are able to follow the pace of the Australian champion: Evans & Rodríguez (Katusha), Contador (Movistar), Kaschechkin & Gasparotto (Lampre), Antón (Euskaltel), Mollema, Santambrogio & Visconti (BMC), Schleck, Gesink & De Gendt (Monster Energy), Pozzovivo & Stortoni (Colnago), Brutt (Rabobank), Felline (Nespresso), Agnoli (Liquigas), Serpa, Kreuziger & Vinokourov (Astana), Fuglsang & Rubiano (Radio Shack), Cataldo (Omega Pharma), Urán (Sky) and Hesjedal (Garmin).
7km to go
Both BMC and Monster Energy continue in setting a high pace in the flat part along Lake Como to the foot of the San Fermo della Battaglia. None of the riders from other teams are able of attacking. Will this mean that although 25 riders are present in this group, only a few are having the legs to win this edition of Lombardia?
5km to go
When the second half of the climb begins, Andy Schleck increases the pace and only 2 riders are capable of following him: the BMC-duo Mauro Santambrogio and Bauke Mollema. But 1km before the summit, Mollema has already cracked and follows at 19 seconds, with the peloton at '37. But also Santambrogio is starting to crack!
4km to go
The pace of the Luxembourg World Tour-rankings leader is too much for Santambrogio and the Italian has to let him go. Schleck has already started the descend towards Como. Santambrogio follows at '11, a group with Mollema, Contador and Brutt at '59 and the peloton at 2'03.
Finish
What a way to finish a great season for Andy Schleck. Getting good results in the Amstel Gold Race (4th), La Flèche Wallone (4th), Clasica San Sebatian (2nd) and winning Liège-Bastogne-Lièg, Le Tour de France and now Il Lombardia!! He gives the team the perfect present in his last race for us, after 3 great years!
Santambrogio finishes in a surprising 2nd place, while Alberto Contador wins the sprint for the 3rd place, beating Bauke Mollema and Pavel Brutt. World champ Gasparotto wins the sprint for the 6th place at 2'36, followed by Felline and Vinokourov.
Results
1
Andy Schleck
Monster Energy - Subway
6h48'03
2
Mauro Santambrogio
BMC Racing Team
+ 31
3
Alberto Contador
Movistar Team
+ 1'16
4
Bauke Mollema
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
5
Pavel Brutt
Rabobank Cycling Team
s.t.
6
Enrico Gasparotto
Lampre - Generali
+ 2'36
7
Fabio Felline
Nespresso - Algarve
s.t.
8
Alexandre Vinokourov
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
9
Miguel Rubiano
Radio Shack - Nissan
s.t.
10
Domenico Pozzovivo
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
Spoiler
11
Joaquím Rodríguez
Katusha Team
s.t.
12
Andrey Kashechkin
Lampre - Generali
s.t.
13
Igor Antón
Euskaltel - Euskadi
s.t.
14
Giovanni Visconti
BMC Racing Team
s.t.
15
Valerio Agnoli
Liquigas - Cannondale
s.t.
16
Cadel Evans
Katusha Team
s.t.
17
Ryder Hesjedal
Garmin - Barracuda
s.t.
18
Rigoberto Urán
Sky ProCycling
s.t.
19
José Serpa
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
20
Thomas De Gendt
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
21
Dario Cataldo
Omega Pharma - Quick·Step
s.t.
22
Robert Gesink
Monster Energy - Subway
s.t.
23
Simone Stortoni
Colnago - CSF Inox
s.t.
24
Jakob Fuglsang
Radio Shack - Nissan
s.t.
25
Roman Kreuziger
Pro Team Astana
s.t.
The winner
Word from the DS
There is only 1 reaction about today, and Andy's win: wow, amazing........
1 big thank you for 3 great years, with you winning the Vuelta, the Tour, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and now Il Lombardia.
I think I'll stay a few days here around Lake Como, celebrating a fantastic season! But there is also work to do. The CEO of Monster Energy has arranged a meeting tomorrow in Como with me. All I know that the subject is "the next years"......
Yaroslav Popovych
Cristiano Benenati
Pavel Zitta
Dominic Klemme
Sergey Lagutin
Stijn Devolder
Tadej Valjavec
Joost Van Leijen
Thomas Peterson
Nelson Oliveira
Christophe Riblon
Alex Dowsett
Edvald Boasson Hagen
José Joaquín Rojas
Juan José Haedo
Bernhard Eisel
Pavel Brutt
Andrey Kashechkin
Miguel Rubiano
Joaquím Rodríguez
