• 1. Oliver Zaugg (Sui), Leopard-Trek, 6:20:02
• 2. Daniel Martin (Irl), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:08
• 3. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Esp), Team Katusha, at 0:08
• 4. Ivan Basso (Ita), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 0:08
• 5. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol), Lampre-ISD, at 0:08
• 6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita), Colnago-CSF, at 0:08
• 7. Giovanni Visconti (Ita), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 0:16
• 8. Philippe Gilbert (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 0:16
• 9. Carlos Alberto Betancur Gomez (Col), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 0:16
• 10. Riccardo Chiarini (Ita), Androni Giocattoli, at 0:16
• 11. Luca Paolini (Ita), Team Katusha, at 0:27
• 12. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel), BMC Racing Team, at 0:27
• 13. Dario Cataldo (Ita), Quick Step, at 0:27
• 14. Peter Stetina (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:27
• 15. Igor Anton Hernandez (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 0:27
• 16. Nicolas Roche (Irl), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 0:27
• 17. Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Esp), Team Katusha, at 0:27
• 18. Rémi Pauriol (Fra), Française des Jeux, at 0:27
• 19. Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col), Team Sky, at 0:27
• 20. Thomas Lövkvist (Swe), Team Sky, at 0:27
• 21. Ivan Santaromita (Ita), BMC Racing Team, at 0:27
• 22. Fabio Felline (Ita), Geox-TMC, at 1:11
• 23. Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Esp), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:11
• 24. Marco Marcato (Ita), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 1:11
• 25. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por), Movistar, at 1:11
• 26. Rafal Majka (Pol), Saxo Bank-Sungard, at 1:11
• 27. Damiano Cunego (Ita), Lampre-ISD, at 1:15
• 28. Fabian Wegmann (Ger), Leopard-Trek, at 1:15
• 29. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 1:15
• 30. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:15
• 31. Federico Canuti (Ita), Colnago-CSF, at 1:15
• 32. Janez Brajkovic (Slo), Team RadioShack, at 1:15
• 33. Chris Sörensen (Den), Saxo Bank-Sungard, at 1:15
• 34. Christophe Le Mevel (Fra), Garmin-Cervélo, at 2:39
• 35. Matteo Montaguti (Ita), Ag2r La Mondiale, at 2:39
• 36. Amets Txurruka (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2:39
• 37. Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 5:30
• 38. Giampaolo Caruso (Ita), Team Katusha, at 6:44
• 39. Jakob Fuglsang (Den), Leopard-Trek, at 7:14
• 40. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 7:14
• 41. Michael Rogers (Aus), Team Sky, at 7:14
• 42. Stephen Cummings (Gbr), Team Sky, at 7:14
• 43. Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr), Htc-Highroad, at 11:20
• 44. Volodymir Gustov (Ukr), Saxo Bank-Sungard, at 11:20
• 45. Andriy Grivko (Ukr), Astana, at 12:04
• 46. Jussi Veikkanen (Fin), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 12:31
• 47. Thibaut Pinot (Fra), Française des Jeux, at 12:31
• 48. Petr Ignatenko (Rus), Team Katusha, at 12:31
• 49. Brian Vandborg (Den), Saxo Bank-Sungard, at 12:31
• 50. Grischa Niermann (Ger), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 12:31
• 51. Bruno Pires (Por), Leopard-Trek, at 12:31
• 52. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 12:31
• 53. Elia Favilli (Ita), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 12:31
• 54. Manuele Mori (Ita), Lampre-ISD, at 12:31
• 55. Andrey Mizurov (Kaz), Astana, at 12:31
• 56. Thomas Peterson (USA), Garmin-Cervélo, at 12:31
• 57. Pieter Weening (Ned), Rabobank Cycling Team, at 12:31
• 58. Luca Mazzanti (Ita), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, at 12:31
• 59. Sylvester Szmyd (Pol), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 15:34
• 60. Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor), Team Sky, at 15:34
• 61. Nick Nuyens (Bel), Saxo Bank-Sungard, at 15:34
• 62. Johan Van Summeren (Bel), Garmin-Cervélo, at 15:34
• 63. Francis De Greef (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 15:34
• DNF: Bart De Clercq (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF: Gert Dockx (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF: Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF: Frederik Willems (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF: Rafai Chtioui (Tun), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF: Claudio Corioni (Ita), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF: Alessandro Donati (Ita), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF: Paolo Ciavatta (Ita), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF: Simone Masciarelli (Ita), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF: Francesco Di Paolo (Ita), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF: Fabio Taborre (Ita), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF: Julien Berard (Fra), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF: Guillaume Bonnafond (Fra), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF: Maxime Bouet (Fra), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF: Mikael Cherel (Fra), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF: Ben Gastauer (Lux), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF: Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita), Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF: Luca Barla (Ita), Androni Giocattoli
• DNF: Omar Bertazzo (Ita), Androni Giocattoli
• DNF: Alessandro Bertolini (Ita), Androni Giocattoli
• DNF: Alessandro De Marchi (Ita), Androni Giocattoli
• DNF: Giairo Ermeti (Ita), Androni Giocattoli
• DNF: Luca Solari (Ita), Androni Giocattoli
• DNF: Antonio Santoro (Ita), Androni Giocattoli
• DNF: Alessandro Ballan (Ita), BMC Racing Team
• DNF: Mathias Frank (Sui), BMC Racing Team
• DNF: Martin Kohler (Sui), BMC Racing Team
• DNF: Steve Morabito (Sui), BMC Racing Team
• DNF: Mauro Santambrogio (Ita), BMC Racing Team
• DNF: Michael Schär (Sui), BMC Racing Team
• DNF: Gianluca Brambilla (Ita), Colnago-CSF
• DNF: Angelo Pagani (Ita), Colnago-CSF
• DNF: Alberto Contoli (Ita), Colnago-CSF
• DNF: Andrea Pasqualon (Ita), Colnago-CSF
• DNF: Stefano Pirazzi (Ita), Colnago-CSF
• DNF: Andrea Piechele (Ita), Colnago-CSF
• DNF: Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn), Europcar
• DNF: Anthony Charteau (Fra), Europcar
• DNF: Cyril Gautier (Fra), Europcar
• DNF: Vincent Jerome (Fra), Europcar
• DNF: Alexandre Pichot (Fra), Europcar
• DNF: David Veilleux (Can), Europcar
• DNF: Thomas Voeckler (Fra), Europcar
• DNF: Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF: Alan Perez Lezaun (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF: Jon Izaguirre Insausti (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF: Mikel Landa Meana (Esp), Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF: Arnaud Courteille (Fra), Française des Jeux
• DNF: G. Luca Mirenda (Ita), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
• DNF: Alessandro Bisolti (Ita), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
• DNF: Diego Caccia (Ita), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
• DNF: Davide Ricci Bitti (Ita), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
• DNF: Leonardo Giordani (Ita), Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli
• DNF: Sandy Casar (Fra), Française des Jeux
• DNF: Mickael Delage (Fra), Française des Jeux
• DNF: Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra), Française des Jeux
• DNF: Geoffrey Soupe (Fra), Française des Jeux
• DNF: Arthur Vichot (Fra), Française des Jeux
• DNF: Marco Corti (Ita), Geox-TMC
• DNF: Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Esp), Geox-TMC
• DNF: Daniele Colli (Ita), Geox-TMC
• DNF: David Gutierrez Gutierrez (Esp), Geox-TMC
• DNF: David De La Fuente Rasilla (Esp), Geox-TMC
• DNF: Fabio Andres Duarte Arevalo (Col), Geox-TMC
• DNF: Xavier Florencio Cabre (Esp), Geox-TMC
• DNF: Michael Albasini (Sui), Htc-Highroad
• DNF: Caleb Fairly (USA), Htc-Highroad
• DNF: Leigh Howard (Aus), Htc-Highroad
• DNF: Martin Velits (Svk), Htc-Highroad
• DNF: Peter Velits (Svk), Htc-Highroad
• DNF: Arkimedes Arguelyes Rodriges (Rus), Team Katusha
• DNF: Maxime Vantomme (Bel), Team Katusha
• DNF: Filippo Pozzato (Ita), Team Katusha
• DNF: Leonardo Bertagnolli (Ita), Lampre-ISD
• DNF: Francesco Gavazzi (Ita), Lampre-ISD
• DNF: Marco Marzano (Ita), Lampre-ISD
• DNF: Diego Ulissi (Ita), Lampre-ISD
• DNF: Stefan Denifl (Aut), Leopard-Trek
• DNF: Maxime Monfort (Bel), Leopard-Trek
• DNF: Thomas Rohregger (Aut), Leopard-Trek
• DNF: Eros Capecchi (Ita), Liquigas-Cannondale
• DNF: Damiano Caruso (Ita), Liquigas-Cannondale
• DNF: Dominik Nerz (Ger), Liquigas-Cannondale
• DNF: Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita), Liquigas-Cannondale
• DNF: Cristiano Salerno (Ita), Liquigas-Cannondale
• DNF: Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Esp), Movistar
• DNF: Imanol Erviti (Esp), Movistar
• DNF: Jesus Herrada Lopez (Esp), Movistar
• DNF: Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Esp), Movistar
• DNF: Sergio Pardilla Bellon (Esp), Movistar
• DNF: Ruben Plaza Molina (Esp), Movistar
• DNF: Pablo Lastras Garcia (Esp), Movistar
• DNF: Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz), Astana
• DNF: Francesco Masciarelli (Ita), Astana
• DNF: Alexsandr Dyachenko (Kaz), Astana
• DNF: Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz), Astana
• DNF: Evgeny Petrov (Rus), Astana
• DNF: Yevgeniy Nepomnyachshiy (Kaz), Astana
• DNF: Davide Malacarne (Ita), Quick Step
• DNF: Dries Devenyns (Bel), Quick Step
• DNF: Francesco Reda (Ita), Quick Step
• DNF: Kevin De Weert (Bel), Quick Step
• DNF: Matteo Trentin (Ita), Quick Step
• DNF: Marco Bandiera (Ita), Quick Step
• DNF: Sylvain Chavanel (Fra), Quick Step
• DNF: Bauke Mollema (Ned), Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF: Bram Tankink (Ned), Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF: Laurens Ten Dam (Ned), Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF: André Steensen (Den), Saxo Bank-Sungard
• DNF: Manuele Boaro (Ita), Saxo Bank-Sungard
• DNF: Matteo Tosatto (Ita), Saxo Bank-Sungard
• DNF: Dario David Cioni (Ita), Team Sky
• DNF: Christian Knees (Ger), Team Sky
• DNF: Xabier Zandio Echaide (Esp), Team Sky
• DNF: Thomas De Gendt (Bel), Vacansoleil-DCM
• DNF: Daniel Lloyd (Gbr), Garmin-Cervélo
• DNF: Gabriel Rasch (Nor), Garmin-Cervélo
• DNF: Sep Vanmarcke (Bel), Garmin-Cervélo
• DNF: Matthew Busche (USA), Team RadioShack
• DNF: Philip Deignan (Irl), Team RadioShack
• DNF: Ben Hermans (Bel), Team RadioShack
• DNF: Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol), Team RadioShack
• DNF: Tiago Machado (Por), Team RadioShack
• DNF: Nelson Oliveira (Por), Team RadioShack
• DNF: Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Esp), Team RadioShack
• DNF: Stijn Devolder (Bel), Vacansoleil-DCM
• DNF: Matteo Carrara (Ita), Vacansoleil-DCM
• DNF: Marcello Pavarin (Ita), Vacansoleil-DCM
• DNF: Ruslan Pydgornyy (Ukr), Vacansoleil-DCM
• DNF: Wouter Poels (Ned), Vacansoleil-DCM
• DNF: Wouter Mol (Ned), Vacansoleil-DCM

Oliver Zaugg wins the 2011 Tour of Lombardy. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.com

Unheralded Oliver Zaugg (Leopard-Trek) stunned a host of favorites to claim the first win of his professional career at the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday.

Dan Martin (Garmin-Cervélo) finished second in the season-ending classic, with Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) third place, eight seconds in arrears after six hours and 20 minutes of racing.

Zaugg, who finished 11th overall in the 2008 Vuelta a España, had been largely considered a domestique.

But after Leopard team bosses nominated him and teammate Jakob Fuglsang, who finished fourth last year, as their road captains for the day, the 30-year-old seized his chance.

“I have always been a helper during my career,” said an ecstatic Zaugg. “Ever since I started racing, my job has been to help my captains. The team believed that my condition was good, and they gave me a chance today.

“They designated Jakob and me as captains together. I am incredibly grateful that the team gave me a shot in a race like Lombardy.”

Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto), winner of the previous two editions, was one of several favorites for the “Race of the Falling Leaves” who struggled to keep pace in a tough finale where Zaugg made all the difference.

Philippe Gilbert could manage only eighth after two consecutive wins. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.com

Gilbert eventually finished eighth, pipped at the line by Italian champion Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli).

“What can I say? The result was logical and, as expected, it came down to the last climb,” said Gilbert, who has won five of the season’s 13 classics but admitted he was on his limit during Lombardy

“I was bordering on cramping up,” he added.

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), the 2010 Vuelta champion, had come into this year’s race determined to make amends for crashing out last year, when Gilbert tamed wet and windy conditions to claim his second consecutive win.

Nibali made his intentions clear with an acceleration early on the Madonna del Ghisallo climb, which caused a first selection in the peloton.

He crested the summit, 53km from the finish, with a lead of 1:20 on Gilbert and Fuglsang.

But once back on flat terrain around the shores of Lake Como, climbing specialist Nibali struggled to ward off a 34-man peloton being driven mainly by Team Sky, with Michael Rogers leading the chase on the way to the day’s final climb at Villa Vergano.

Vincenzo Nibali on the go. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.com

Nibali was caught 16.5 km from the finish, where he trailed home over seven minutes off the pace, and left lamenting changes to this year’s course.

“When I had a gap of 1:40 I really thought I could win. I gave it everything, but the road from the Ghisallo to the next climb was too flat for my liking,” he said.

It was on the steep pitches towards the summit that Zaugg pulled ahead to leave a dwindling group of frontrunners in his wake, coming over the summit with a 15sec lead.

On the 9km stretch to the finish in Lecco, two chase groups organized behind him, but they ultimately failed to reel the Swiss in.

“It worked out very well,” added Zaugg. “My hope had been that I would attack solo and hold off the others all the way to the finish.

“I don’t have a sprint. I’m not a big guy. What I did was the only scenario in which I could win the race. The way things played out was exactly what I had planned.”

He becomes the fourth Swiss to win the race — one of cycling’s five classic monuments with Milan-SanRemo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège — and the first since Oscar Camenzind in 1998.

Zaugg’s victory also gave Team Leopard, for whom countryman Fabian Cancellara failed to fire in the cobbled spring classics, a first major classics win of the season.

Quick results

• 1. Oliver Zaugg (Sui), Leopard-Trek, 6:20:02
• 2. Daniel Martin (Irl), Garmin-Cervélo, at 0:08
• 3. Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Esp), Team Katusha, at 0:08
• 4. Ivan Basso (Ita), Liquigas-Cannondale, at 0:08
• 5. Przemyslaw Niemiec (Pol), Lampre-ISD, at 0:08

Complete results

The 'race of the falling leaves' marks the end of a long season.

All season long, the peloton has been marking the wheel of Philippe Gilbert, but that hasn’t stopped him from scoring victory after another.

The scenario will repeat itself in Saturday’s 105th Giro di Lombardia, where world No. 1 Gilbert will line up as the two-time defending champion against a field of challengers who hope to knock him off balance. Gilbert missed the winning move in Thursday’s Giro di Piemonte, a race he’d also won two times running, meaning that the Belgian will only be doubly motivated Saturday to put a finishing touch to his extraordinary 2011 campaign.

Related: Start list

Other big names include Damiano Cunego (Lampre-ISD), Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) and Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini).

Changes to the route mean victory will require a perfect mix of strength and tactics, something that Gilbert has not been lacking all year. Whether someone can match him mano-a-mano sets the stage for the season’s final big battle.

This year’s routes, 241km from Milano to Lecco on the shores of Lake Como, features some interesting changes. The emblematic Ghisallo climb remains eternal, but a new climb at the Villa Vergano (7km at max grades of 12 percent) some 9km from the finish line should provide a launching pad for aggressive tactics.

The twisting descent off the Vergano, which bottoms out with 2.8km to go, could favor strong descenders such as Nibali and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), though Gilbert is no slouch himself when the road heads downhill.

Michele Scarponi and Philippe Gilbert battle in last year's rainy edition of the Race of the Falling Leaves.

“Considering the course profile, it should be a nervous and hard-fought race,” Nibali said. “The Ghisallo will be a very important obstacle, even though the final climb at Villa Vergano should launch the favorites. Last year’s race went well until a fall. The key is to stay with the favorites to keep open your options.”

The Italians love to romanticize cycling and affectionately call the race la classica delle foglie morte (Race of the Falling Leaves in English) and Lombardia deserves the distinction of one of cycling’s five monuments. It’s also been called the “worlds of autumn,” and the hilly, 241km race always produces racing pyrotechnics worthy of its long tradition.

Another rider to watch is Cunego, a three-time winner who was testing his form during the Tour of Beijing last week. Cunego said he went to China to specifically race into form to make a run to join the four-win club. Fausto Coppi holds the record with five victories, meaning that the Little Prince could come within one race of history if he can pull off a big ride Saturday. Last year’s runner-up, Michele Scarponi, will not be starting for Lampre.

“I’ve already ridden the course and I can confirm that it’s very difficult. There’s no room to rest,” Cunego said. “Personally, I have improved my form in China. I will count on the support of my teammates and I am going into the race with optimism.”

Recently crowned world champion Mark Cavendish will be showing off his rainbow jersey in what will be the last major race for HTC-Highroad, which is folding at the end of this season.

Fabian Cancelllara and Maxime Monfort headline Leopard-Trek, also racing in its final major race before merging with RadioShack for the 2012 season.

Olympic champion Sánchez leads Euskaltel-Euskadi while Dani Moreno, hot off victory in Thursday’s Giro di Piemonte, leads Katusha, which also includes Filippo Pozzato and Joaquim Rodriguez.

North Americans lining for the season finale include Matthew Busche (RadioShack), Tom Peterson and Peter Stetina (Garmin-Cervelo) and Caleb Fairly (HTC-Highroad).

Racing continues this weekend with the GP des Nations time trial event on Sunday in France.

On the individual standings, Astana Alberto Contador, who won his third Tour de France yellow jersey in July, was second, with Belgian Philippe Gilbert, who won Lombardia for the second consecutive year on Saturday, finished in third place.

Rodriguez’ season included finishing second to Cadel Evans at the Fleche Wallonne semi-classic, a stage win at the Tour de France and fourth overall at the Vuelta a Espana.

Individual rankings

• 1. Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver, Team Katusha, with 551 points
• 2. Alberto Contador Velasco, Astana, with 482 points
• 3. Philippe Gilbert, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 437 points
• 4. Luis Leon Sanchez Gil, Caisse D’Epargne, with 403 points
• 5. Cadel Evans, BMC Racing Team, with 390 points
• 6. Vincenzo Nibali, Liquigas-Doimo, with 390 points
• 7. Robert Gesink, Rabobank, with 369 points
• 8. Ryder Hesjedal, Garmin-Transitions, with 307 points
• 9. Tyler Farrar, Garmin-Transitions, with 306 points
• 10. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 301 points
• 11. Alexandre Vinokourov, Astana, with 283 points
• 12. Michele Scarponi, Androni Giocattoli – Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, with 283 points
• 13. Andy Schleck, Team Saxo Bank, with 258 points
• 14. Fabian Cancellara, Team Saxo Bank, with 254 points
• 15. Frank Schleck, Team Saxo Bank, with 230 points
• 16. Edvald Boasson Hagen, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 228 points
• 17. Denis Menchov, Rabobank, with 221 points
• 18. Christopher Horner, Team RadioShack, with 216 points
• 19. Tom Boonen, Quick Step, with 216 points
• 20. André Greipel, Team HTC-Columbia, with 211 points
• 21. Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Doimo, with 206 points
• 22. Mark Cavendish, Team HTC-Columbia, with 198 points
• 23. Roman Kreuziger, Liquigas-Doimo, with 196 points
• 24. Alessandro Petacchi, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 182 points
• 25. Tony Martin, Team HTC-Columbia, with 179 points
• 26. Janez Brajkovic, Team RadioShack, with 174 points
• 27. Thor Hushovd, Cervelo TestTeam, with 173 points
• 28. Xavier Tondo Volpini, Cervelo TestTeam, with 171 points
• 29. Broeck Jurgen Van Den, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 169 points
• 30. Carlos Sastre Candil, Cervelo TestTeam, with 162 points
• 31. Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez, Xacobeo Galicia, with 158 points
• 32. Nicolas Roche, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 148 points
• 33. Marco Pinotti, Team HTC-Columbia, with 140 points
• 34. Richie Porte, Team Saxo Bank, with 133 points
• 35. David Arroyo Duran, Caisse D’Epargne, with 132 points
• 36. Igor Anton Hernandez, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 132 points
• 37. Jakob Fuglsang, Team Saxo Bank, with 130 points
• 38. Stefano Garzelli, Acqua & Sapone – D’angelo & Antenucci, with 127 points
• 39. Peter Velits, Team HTC-Columbia, with 127 points
• 40. Oscar Freire Gomez, Rabobank, with 125 points
• 41. Thomas Voeckler, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 121 points
• 42. Maxim Iglinsky, Astana, with 117 points
• 43. Michael Rogers, Team HTC-Columbia, with 113 points
• 44. Peter Sagan, Liquigas-Doimo, with 111 points
• 45. Rein Taaramae, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 111 points
• 46. Harley Goss Matthew, Team HTC-Columbia, with 109 points
• 47. Simon Spilak, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 108 points
• 48. Grega Bole, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 107 points
• 49. Daniel Martin, Garmin-Transitions, with 106 points
• 50. Damiano Cunego, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 106 points
• 51. Robbie Mcewen, Team Katusha, with 105 points
• 52. Bauke Mollema, Rabobank, with 104 points
• 53. Greg Henderson, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 103 points
• 54. Vladimir Karpets, Team Katusha, with 102 points
• 55. Björn Leukemans, Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, with 100 points
• 56. Daniele Bennati, Liquigas-Doimo, with 93 points
• 57. Roger Hammond, Cervelo TestTeam, with 90 points
• 58. Koos Moerenhout, Rabobank, with 87 points
• 59. Alessandro Ballan, BMC Racing Team, with 86 points
• 60. Lance Armstrong, Team RadioShack, with 85 points
• 61. Bernhard Eisel, Team HTC-Columbia, with 83 points
• 62. Alexandr Kolobnev, Team Katusha, with 82 points
• 63. Benat Intxausti Elorriaga, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 82 points
• 64. Haimar Zubeldia Agirre, Team RadioShack, with 80 points
• 65. George Hincapie, BMC Racing Team, with 80 points
• 66. Jean-christophe Peraud, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 80 points
• 67. Tejay Van Garderen, Team HTC-Columbia, with 76 points
• 68. Pablo Lastras Garcia, Caisse D’Epargne, with 74 points
• 69. Sandy Casar, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 73 points
• 70. Mikel Nieve Ituralde, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 72 points
• 71. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 71 points
• 72. Michael Albasini, Team HTC-Columbia, with 67 points
• 73. Andreas KlÖden, Team RadioShack, with 66 points
• 74. Thomas Danielson, Garmin-Transitions, with 64 points
• 75. Sacha Modolo, Colnago – Csf Inox, with 62 points
• 76. Jens Voigt, Team Saxo Bank, with 62 points
• 77. Steve Morabito, BMC Racing Team, with 61 points
• 78. Jerome Coppel, Saur – Sojasun, with 61 points
• 79. Sep Vanmarcke, Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator, with 60 points
• 80. Filippo Pozzato, Team Katusha, with 60 points
• 81. Jurgen Roelandts, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 58 points
• 82. Enrico Gasparotto, Astana, with 56 points
• 83. Svein Tuft, Garmin-Transitions, with 56 points
• 84. Luke Roberts, Team Milram, with 56 points
• 85. Fabio Duque Leonardo, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 54 points
• 86. Tiago Machado, Team RadioShack, with 52 points
• 87. Christophe Riblon, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 51 points
• 88. Yoann Offredo, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 50 points
• 89. Allan Davis, Astana, with 48 points
• 90. Sylvester Szmyd, Liquigas-Doimo, with 48 points
• 91. Lars Boom, Rabobank, with 48 points
• 92. Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil, Caisse D’Epargne, with 46 points
• 93. Nicolas Vogondy, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 46 points
• 94. Ruben Plaza Molina, Caisse D’Epargne, with 46 points
• 95. Maxime Monfort, Team HTC-Columbia, with 44 points
• 96. Mauro Santambrogio, BMC Racing Team, with 44 points
• 97. Bert De Waele, Landbouwkrediet, with 40 points
• 98. Alexander Kristoff, BMC Racing Team, with 40 points
• 99. Rigoberto Uran Uran, Caisse D’Epargne, with 40 points
• 100. Sylvain Chavanel, Quick Step, with 40 points
• 101. Robert Kiserlovski, Liquigas-Doimo, with 38 points
• 102. David Moncoutie, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 38 points
• 103. Julian Dean, Garmin-Transitions, with 38 points
• 104. Maarten Tjallingii, Rabobank, with 35 points
• 105. Levi Leipheimer, Team RadioShack, with 35 points
• 106. Michel Kreder, Garmin-Transitions, with 34 points
• 107. John Gadret, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 34 points
• 108. Daniel Oss, Liquigas-Doimo, with 32 points
• 109. Francesco Gavazzi, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 32 points
• 110. Pena David Garcia Da, Xacobeo Galicia, with 32 points
• 111. Staf Scheirlinckx, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 30 points
• 112. Eduard Vorganov, Team Katusha, with 30 points
• 113. Domenico Pozzovivo, Colnago – Csf Inox, with 30 points
• 114. Francesco Ginanni, Androni Giocattoli – Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, with 30 points
• 115. Yauheni Hutarovich, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 30 points
• 116. Danilo Hondo, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 29 points
• 117. José Haedo Juan, Team Saxo Bank, with 29 points
• 118. Carlos Barredo Llamazales, Quick Step, with 26 points
• 119. Pierre Rolland, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 24 points
• 120. Wouter Weylandt, Quick Step, with 23 points
• 121. Marco Marcato, Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, with 22 points
• 122. Gustav Larsson, Team Saxo Bank, with 21 points
• 123. Fabian Wegmann, Team Milram, with 20 points
• 124. Leif Hoste, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 20 points
• 125. Marcel Wyss, Cervelo TestTeam, with 20 points
• 126. Jérôme Pineau, Quick Step, with 20 points
• 127. Johann Tschopp, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 20 points
• 128. Pierrick Fedrigo, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 20 points
• 129. Miguel Moreira Paulinho Sergio, Team RadioShack, with 20 points
• 130. Sébastien Hinault, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 18 points
• 131. Evgeny Petrov, Team Katusha, with 18 points
• 132. Bradley Wiggins, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 18 points
• 133. Manuel Belletti, Colnago – Csf Inox, with 18 points
• 134. Dries Devenyns, Quick Step, with 17 points
• 135. Christophe Le Mevel, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 17 points
• 136. Matti Breschel, Team Saxo Bank, with 16 points
• 137. Chris SÖrensen, Team Saxo Bank, with 16 points
• 138. Linus Gerdemann, Team Milram, with 16 points
• 139. Imanol Erviti, Caisse D’Epargne, with 16 points
• 140. David Lopez Garcia, Caisse D’Epargne, with 16 points
• 141. Matthew Lloyd, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 16 points
• 142. Damien Monier, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 16 points
• 143. Robert Hunter, Garmin-Transitions, with 15 points
• 144. Geraint Thomas, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 15 points
• 145. Thomas Leezer, Rabobank, with 14 points
• 146. Mauricio Ardila Cano, Rabobank, with 14 points
• 147. Gerald Ciolek, Team Milram, with 13 points
• 148. Antonio Leal Cardoso Manuel, Footon-Servetto, with 13 points
• 149. Graeme Brown, Rabobank, with 13 points
• 150. Robert Förster, Team Milram, with 13 points
• 151. Kevin De Weert, Quick Step, with 12 points
• 152. Marcus Burghardt, BMC Racing Team, with 12 points
• 153. Fabio Sabatini, Liquigas-Doimo, with 12 points
• 154. Sebastian Haedo Lucas, Team Saxo Bank, with 12 points
• 155. Alexandre Botcharov, Team Katusha, with 11 points
• 156. Mirco Lorenzetto, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 11 points
• 157. Enrique Mata, Footon-Servetto, with 10 points
• 158. Manuele Mori, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 10 points
• 159. Dominique Cornu, Skil – Shimano, with 10 points
• 160. William Bonnet, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 10 points
• 161. Thomas LÖvkvist, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 10 points
• 162. David Millar, Garmin-Transitions, with 10 points
• 163. Paul Voss, Team Milram, with 10 points
• 164. Steven Kruijswijk, Rabobank, with 10 points
• 165. Vasili Kiryienka, Caisse D’Epargne, with 10 points
• 166. Maxime Bouet, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 10 points
• 167. Rafael Valls Ferri, Footon-Servetto, with 10 points
• 168. Mark Renshaw, Team HTC-Columbia, with 10 points
• 169. Dario Cataldo, Quick Step, with 9 points
• 170. Giampaolo Caruso, Team Katusha, with 8 points
• 171. Greg Van Avermaet, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 8 points
• 172. Vladimir Gusev, Team Katusha, with 8 points
• 173. David Cioni Dario, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 8 points
• 174. Simone Stortoni, Colnago – Csf Inox, with 8 points
• 175. Samuel Dumoulin, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 8 points
• 176. Brent Bookwalter, BMC Racing Team, with 8 points
• 177. Serafin Martinez, Xacobeo Galicia, with 8 points
• 178. Rubens Bertogliati, Androni Giocattoli – Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, with 8 points
• 179. Koldo Fernandez, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 8 points
• 180. Romain Zingle, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 8 points
• 181. Nico Sijmens, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 8 points
• 182. Julien Fouchard, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 8 points
• 183. Luca Paolini, Acqua & Sapone – D’angelo & Antenucci, with 7 points
• 184. Christopher Sutton, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 7 points
• 185. Aitor Galdos Alonso, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 7 points
• 186. Francesco Reda, Quick Step, with 6 points
• 187. Karsten Kroon, BMC Racing Team, with 6 points
• 188. Aitor Perez Arrieta, Footon-Servetto, with 6 points
• 189. Andrey Kashechkin, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 6 points
• 190. Daniel Navarro Garcia, Astana, with 6 points
• 191. Costa Rui Alberto Faria Da, Caisse D’Epargne, with 6 points
• 192. Manuel Garate Juan, Rabobank, with 6 points
• 193. Amaël Moinard, Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 6 points
• 194. Bert Grabsch, Team HTC-Columbia, with 6 points
• 195. Mikhail Ignatyev, Team Katusha, with 6 points
• 196. Davide Malacarne, Quick Step, with 6 points
• 197. Jacopo Guarnieri, Liquigas-Doimo, with 6 points
• 198. Jack Bobridge, Garmin-Transitions, with 6 points
• 199. Heinrich Haussler, Cervelo TestTeam, with 6 points
• 200. Sergey Lagutin, Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, with 5 points
• 201. Benoît Vaugrenard, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 5 points
• 202. Jan Bakelandts, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 5 points
• 203. Alexander Efimkin, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 5 points
• 204. Gert Steegmans, Team RadioShack, with 5 points
• 205. Markus Fothen, Team Milram, with 4 points
• 206. Rémy Di Gregorio, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 4 points
• 207. Hayden Roulston, Team HTC-Columbia, with 4 points
• 208. Paul Martens, Rabobank, with 4 points
• 209. Romain Sicard, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 4 points
• 210. Christophe Moreau, Caisse D’Epargne, with 4 points
• 211. Jos Van Emden, Rabobank, with 4 points
• 212. Lloyd Mondory, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 4 points
• 213. Eros Capecchi, Footon-Servetto, with 4 points
• 214. Arkaitz Duran Aroca, Footon-Servetto, with 4 points
• 215. Martijn Maaskant, Garmin-Transitions, with 4 points
• 216. Iban Mayoz Echeverria, Footon-Servetto, with 4 points
• 217. Tiziano Dall’antonia, Liquigas-Doimo, with 4 points
• 218. Yukiya Arashiro, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 4 points
• 219. Ruben Perez Moreno, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 4 points
• 220. David Zabriskie, Garmin-Transitions, with 4 points
• 221. Pablo Urtasun Perez, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 4 points
• 222. Martin Velits, Team HTC-Columbia, with 4 points
• 223. Ignatas Konovalovas, Cervelo TestTeam, with 4 points
• 224. Kenny Robert Van Hummel, Skil – Shimano, with 4 points
• 225. Martin Reimer, Cervelo TestTeam, with 4 points
• 226. Matthieu Ladagnous, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 3 points
• 227. Hubert Dupont, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 3 points
• 228. Mauro Finetto, Liquigas-Doimo, with 3 points
• 229. Alex Rasmussen, Team Saxo Bank, with 3 points
• 230. Romain Feillu, Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, with 2 points
• 231. Christian Knees, Team Milram, with 2 points
• 232. Diego Ulissi, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 2 points
• 233. Thibaut Pinot, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 2 points
• 234. Jérémy Roy, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 2 points
• 235. Leonardo Bertagnolli, Androni Giocattoli – Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, with 2 points
• 236. Daniel Moreno Fernandez, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 2 points
• 237. Jérémie Galland, Saur – Sojasun, with 2 points
• 238. Marzio Bruseghin, Caisse D’Epargne, with 2 points
• 239. Thomas De Gendt, Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator, with 2 points
• 240. Mario Aerts, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 2 points
• 241. Mathieu Perget, Caisse D’Epargne, with 2 points
• 242. David Loosli, Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 2 points
• 243. Anthony Charteau, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 2 points
• 244. Egor Silin, Team Katusha, with 2 points
• 245. Denis Galimzyanov, Team Katusha, with 2 points
• 246. José Luis Arrieta Lujambio, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 2 points
• 247. Sébastien Chavanel, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 2 points
• 248. Andreas Stauff, Quick Step, with 2 points
• 249. Oliver Zaugg, Liquigas-Doimo, with 1 points
• 250. Tom Veelers, Skil – Shimano, with 1 points
• 251. Javier Moreno Bazan, Andalucia – Cajasur, with 1 points
• 252. Matteo Carrara, Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, with 1 points
• 253. Steve Chainel, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 1 points
• 254. Stephen Cummings, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 1 points
• 255. Manuel Quinziato, Liquigas-Doimo, with 1 points
• 256. Fabio Felline, Footon-Servetto, with 1 points
• 257. Dominik Nerz, Team Milram, with 1 points
• 258. Esteban Egoi Martinez De, Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 1 points
• 259. Dimitri Champion, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 1 points
• 260. Biel Kadri, Ag2r La Mondiale, with 1 points
• 261. Simon Geschke, Skil – Shimano, with 1 points
• 262. Jaroslaw Marycz, Team Saxo Bank, with 1 points
• 263. Federico Canuti, Colnago – Csf Inox, with 1 points
• 264. Gorik Gardeyn, Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, with 1 points
• 265. Sebastian Lang, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 1 points
• 266. Borut Bozic, Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, with 1 points
• 267. Alessandro Vanotti, Liquigas-Doimo, with 1 points
• 268. Danilo Wyss, BMC Racing Team, with 1 points
• 269. Davide Vigano, Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 1 points
• 270. Kenny De Haes, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 1 points
• 271. Elia Viviani, Liquigas-Doimo, with 1 points
• 272. Pierre Cazaux, FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 1 points
• 273. Rick Flens, Rabobank, with 1 points
• 274. Michael Van Stayen, Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator, with 1 points
• 275. Adam Blyth, Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 1 points
• 276. Roger Kluge, Team Milram, with 1 points
• 277. Francesco Chicchi, Liquigas-Doimo, with 1 points

National rankings

• 1. Spain, with 1,908 points
• 2. Italy, with 1,201 points
• 3. Belgium, with 982 points
• 4. Australia, with 850 points
• 5. United States, with 763 points
• 6. Netherlands, with 643 points
• 7. Germany, with 547 points
• 8. Luxembourg, with 488 points
• 9. Russia, with 453 points
• 10. Norway, with 441 points
• 11. Switzerland, with 422 points
• 12. Kazakhstan, with 406 points
• 13. Slovenia, with 390 points
• 14. France, with 386 points
• 15. Canada, with 363 points
• 16. Great Britain, with 331 points
• 17. Ireland, with 254 points
• 18. Slovakia, with 242 points
• 19. Czech Republic, with 196 points
• 20. Denmark, with 165 points
• 21. New Zealand, with 145 points
• 22. Estonia, with 111 points
• 23. Colombia, with 108 points
• 24. Portugal, with 91 points
• 25. Austria, with 83 points
• 26. Poland, with 49 points
• 27. Argentina, with 41 points
• 28. Belarus, with 40 points
• 29. Croatia, with 38 points
• 30. Sweden, with 31 points
• 31. South Africa, with 15 points
• 32. Uzbekistan, with 5 points
• 33. Japan, with 4 points
• 34. Lithuania, with 4 points

Team Rankings

• 1. Team Saxo Bank, with 1,005 points
• 2. Liquigas-Doimo, with 996 points
• 3. Astana, with 986 points
• 4. Rabobank, with 906 points
• 5. Team Katusha, with 900 points
• 6. Team HTC-Columbia, with 855 points
• 7. Garmin-Transitions, with 839 points
• 8. Omega Pharma-Lotto, with 774 points
• 9. Caisse D’Epargne, with 701 points
• 10. BMC Racing Team, with 661 points
• 11. Team RadioShack, with 621 points
• 12. Cervelo TestTeam, with 616 points
• 13. Euskaltel – Euskadi, with 595 points
• 14. Lampre-Farnese Vini, with 535 points
• 15. Sky Professional Cycling Team, with 435 points
• 16. Quick Step, with 325 points
• 17. Androni Giocattoli – Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, with 323 points
• 18. Ag2r La Mondiale, with 261 points
• 19. Bbox Bouygues Telecom, with 231 points
• 20. Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, with 227 points
• 21. Xacobeo Galicia, with 198 points
• 22. FranÇaise Des Jeux, with 175 points
• 23. Acqua & Sapone – D’angelo & Antenucci, with 134 points
• 24. Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team, with 130 points
• 25. Colnago – Csf Inox, with 119 points
• 26. Team Milram, with 118 points
• 27. Saur – Sojasun, with 63 points
• 28. Topsport Vlaanderen – Mercator, with 63 points
• 29. Footon-Servetto, with 43 points
• 30. Landbouwkrediet, with 40 points
• 31. Skil – Shimano, with 16 points
• 32. Andalucia – Cajasur, with 1 points

Rubiera, 37, says he’s ready to move on and spend more time with his family. Known as “Chechu,” the 37-year-old Rubiera finished Saturday’s Giro di Lombardia in what will be his final professional race. A homage is planned later this month in a criterium in Oviedo in his native Asturias in northern Spain.

“I’ve been lucky that someone else didn’t decide when it was the right time for me to leave the sport,” Rubiera told the Spanish daily Marca. “It will be a dramatic change in my life, but I am not worried about leaving behind competition. I am weary of being away from home and want to dedicate more time to my family.”

Rubiera postponed his own retirement at the end of the 2008 season when Armstrong decided to return to the peloton. The lithe climber joined Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service in 2001 and became one of Armstrong’s most reliable workers during the Texan’s heyday.

Rubiera was not included in the past two Tours with RadioShack, something he said he was happy about, especially the conflictive 2009 Tour that saw Armstrong and Alberto Contador sniping at each other.

“I was lucky to not have gone to the 2009 Tour, I missed all the problems between Lance and Contador,” Ruberia explained. “If I would have had to race for Lance, I would have done it. And I would have done the same thing with Alberto. It would have been complicated to have had each of them at your side.”

So far, it appears that Rubiera has not been mentioned in the growing investigation into alleged doping practices during the U.S. Postal Service era. Rubiera’s name has not been among those mentioned by U.S. investigators.

Rubiera did, however, say he believed Contador is innocent of allegations that he doped en route to victory during the 2010 Tour de France. Contador is under pressure after testing positive for traces of clenbuterol and faces a possible two-year ban.

“Contador is a very clean rider and I confide in him and his honesty, even if it’s difficult,” he said, adding that a string of high-profile doping cases in Spain doesn’t bode well for the sport. “It’s sad and worrying, but cycling will not disappear. Only one cheats, but everyone pays for it. It’s an unfair situation and I think they should also follow all the trainers, doctors and managers, who often times induce one to cheat.”

2010 Giro di Lombardia: Michele Scarponi and Philippe Gilbert.

• 1. Philippe Gilbert (B), Omega Pharma, 260km in 6:46:32 (38.373kph)
• 2. Michele Scarponi, (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 0:12
• 3. Pablo Lastras Garcia, (Esp) Caisse d’Epargne, at 0:55
• 4. Jakob Fuglsang, (Den) Team Saxo Bank, at 1:08
• 5. Vincenzo Nibali, (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo, at 1:08
• 6. Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez, (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:12
• 7. Mikel Nieve Ituralde, (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2:07
• 8. Mauro Santambrogio, (Ita) BMC Racing Team, at 3:01
• 9. Carlos Barredo Llamazales, (Esp) Quick Step, at 3:25
• 10. Giampaolo Caruso, (Ita) Team Katusha, at 3:50
• 11. Vladimir Gusev, (Rus) Team Katusha, at 4:24
• 12. Rigoberto Uran Uran, (Col) Caisse d’Epargne, at 5:13
• 13. Bauke Mollema, (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team, at 5:13
• 14. Dries Devenyns, (Bel) Quick Step, at 5:32
• 15. Fabian Wegmann, (Ger) Milram, at 5:52
• 16. Greg Van Avermaet, (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 6:00
• 17. Vladimir Miholjevic, (Cro) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 6:10
• 18. Luca Mazzanti, (Ita) Team Katusha, at 6:10
• 19. Maciej Paterski, (Pol) Liquigas-Doimo, at 6:10
• 20. Maxime Monfort, (Bel) HTC-Columbia, at 6:10
• 21. Christopher Horner, (USA) Team Radioshack, at 6:10
• 22. Guillaume Bonnafond, (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 6:41
• 23. Jurgen Van Goolen, (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 8:23
• 24. Serge Pauwels, (Bel) Team Sky, at 9:38
• 25. José Luis Rubiera Vigil, (Esp) Team Radioshack, at 9:52
• 26. Ludovic Turpin, (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale, at 11:50
• 27. Manuele Mori, (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini, at 12:30
• 28. Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez, (Col) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 12:42
• 29. Samuel Dumoulin, (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne, at 12:44
• 30. Assan Bazayev, (Kaz) Astana, at 12:46
• 31. Thomas Peterson, (USA) Garmin-Transitions, at 12:46
• 32. Johannes Fröhlinger, (Ger) Milram, at 14:34
• 33. Lars Petter Nordhaug, (Nor) Team Sky, at 20:39
• 34. Aleksejs Saramotins, (Lat) HTC-Columbia, at 21:35
• DNF – Jan Bakelandts, (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF – Christophe Brandt, (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF – Olivier Kaisen, (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF – Matthew Lloyd, (Aus) Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF – Staf Scheirlinckx, (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
• DNF – Luca Paolini, (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF – Paolo Ciavatta, (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF – Ruggero Marzoli, (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF – Andrea Masciarelli, (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF – Francesco Di Paolo, (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF – Alessandro Proni, (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF – Alessandro Donati, (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo
• DNF – Rinaldo Nocentini, (Ita) Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF – Tadej Valjavec, (Slo) Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF – David Lelay, (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF – Julien Loubet, (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF – Christophe Riblon, (Fra) Ag2r La Mondiale
• DNF – Thomas Bertolini, (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni
• DNF – Alessandro Bertolini, (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni
• DNF – Luca Solari, (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni
• DNF – Leonardo Bertagnolli, (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni
• DNF – Damiano Margutti, (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni
• DNF – Fabrice Piemontesi, (Ita) Androni Giocattoli-Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni
• DNF – Alexsandr Dyachenko, (Kaz) Astana
• DNF – Dmitriy Fofonov, (Kaz) Astana
• DNF – Enrico Gasparotto, (Ita) Astana
• DNF – Andriy Grivko, (Ukr) Astana
• DNF – Josep Jufre Pou, (Esp) Astana
• DNF – Mirko Selvaggi, (Ita) Astana
• DNF – Gorazd Stangelj, (Slo) Astana
• DNF – Cadel Evans, (Aus) BMC Racing Team
• DNF – Alessandro Ballan, (Ita) BMC Racing Team
• DNF – Chris Butler, (USA) BMC Racing Team
• DNF – Karsten Kroon, (Ned) BMC Racing Team
• DNF – Jeffry Louder, (USA) BMC Racing Team
• DNF – Steve Morabito, (Sui) BMC Racing Team
• DNF – Michael Schär, (Sui) BMC Racing Team
• DNF – Imanol Erviti, (Esp) Caisse d’Epargne
• DNF – David Lopez Garcia, (Esp) Caisse d’Epargne
• DNF – Angel Madrazo Ruiz, (Esp) Caisse d’Epargne
• DNF – Luis Pasamontes Rodriguez, (Esp) Caisse d’Epargne
• DNF – Francisco Perez Sanchez, (Esp) Caisse d’Epargne
• DNF – Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez, (Col) Caisse d’Epargne
• DNF – Davide Appollonio, (Ita) Cervélo Testteam
• DNF – Gabriel Rasch, (Nor) Cervélo Testteam
• DNF – Volodymir Gustov, (Ukr) Cervélo Testteam
• DNF – Joaquin Novoa Menedez, (Esp) Cervélo Testteam
• DNF – Oscar Pujol Munoz, (Esp) Cervélo Testteam
• DNF – Xavier Tondo Volpini, (Esp) Cervélo Testteam
• DNF – Thor Hushovd, (Nor) Cervélo Testteam
• DNF – Marcel Wyss, (Sui) Cervélo Testteam
• DNF – Emanuele Sella, (Ita) Carmiooro-A Style
• DNF – Daniele Ratto, (Ita) Carmiooro-A Style
• DNF – Enrico Peruffo, (Ita) Carmiooro-A Style
• DNF – Sebastien Fournet Fayard, (Fra) Carmiooro-A Style
• DNF – Aristide Ratti, (Ita) Carmiooro-A Style
• DNF – Francesco Tizza, (Ita) Carmiooro-A Style
• DNF – Andrea Piechele, (Ita) Carmiooro-A Style
• DNF – Antonio Quadranti, (Ita) Carmiooro-A Style
• DNF – David Moncoutie, (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
• DNF – Mickaël Buffaz, (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
• DNF – Nico Sijmens, (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
• DNF – Tony Gallopin, (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
• DNF – Tristan Valentin, (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
• DNF – Romain Zingle, (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
• DNF – Domenico Pozzovivo, (Ita) Colnago-Csf
• DNF – Filippo Savini, (Ita) Colnago-Csf
• DNF – Michele Gaia, (Ita) Colnago-Csf
• DNF – Alessandro Bisolti, (Ita) Colnago-Csf
• DNF – Gianluca Brambilla, (Ita) Colnago-Csf
• DNF – Federico Canuti, (Ita) Colnago-Csf
• DNF – Alan Marangoni, (Ita) Colnago-Csf
• DNF – Marco Frapporti, (Ita) Colnago-Csf
• DNF – Pablo Urtasun Perez, (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF – Gorka Izagirre Insausti, (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF – Amets Txurruka, (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF – Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas, (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF – Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde, (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF – Javier Francisco Aramendia Lorente, (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi
• DNF – Olivier Bonnaire, (Fra) Française Des Jeux
• DNF – Benoît Vaugrenard, (Fra) Française Des Jeux
• DNF – Arnaud Gerard, (Fra) Française Des Jeux
• DNF – Matthieu Ladagnous, (Fra) Française Des Jeux
• DNF – Yoann Offredo, (Fra) Française Des Jeux
• DNF – Anthony Roux, (Fra) Française Des Jeux
• DNF – Thomas Danielson, (USA) Garmin-Transitions
• DNF – Timothy Duggan, (USA) Garmin-Transitions
• DNF – Michel Kreder, (Ned) Garmin-Transitions
• DNF – Daniel Martin, (Irl) Garmin-Transitions
• DNF – Christian Meier, (Can) Garmin-Transitions
• DNF – Peter Stetina, (USA) Garmin-Transitions
• DNF – Johan Van Summeren, (Bel) Garmin-Transitions
• DNF – Giovanni Visconti, (Ita) Isd-Neri
• DNF – Patrik Sinkewitz, (Ger) Isd-Neri
• DNF – Bartosz Huzarski, (Pol) Isd-Neri
• DNF – G. Luca Mirenda, (Ita) Isd-Neri
• DNF – Diego Caccia, (Ita) Isd-Neri
• DNF – Paolo Longo Borghini, (Ita) Isd-Neri
• DNF – Davide Ricci Bitti, (Ita) Isd-Neri
• DNF – Pier Paolo De Negri, (Ita) Isd-Neri
• DNF – Francesco Gavazzi, (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
• DNF – Enrico Magazzini, (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
• DNF – Daniele Righi, (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
• DNF – Andrey Kashechkin, (Kaz) Lampre-Farnese Vini
• DNF – Diego Ulissi, (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
• DNF – Mauro Da Dalto, (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
• DNF – Daniele Pietropolli, (Ita) Lampre-Farnese Vini
• DNF – Valerio Agnoli, (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
• DNF – Maciej Bodnar, (Pol) Liquigas-Doimo
• DNF – Mauro Finetto, (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
• DNF – Peter Sagan, (Svk) Liquigas-Doimo
• DNF – Ivan Santaromita, (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
• DNF – Sylvester Szmyd, (Pol) Liquigas-Doimo
• DNF – Dario Cataldo, (Ita) Quick Step
• DNF – Sylvain Chavanel, (Fra) Quick Step
• DNF – Marco Velo, (Ita) Quick Step
• DNF – Francesco Reda, (Ita) Quick Step
• DNF – Kevin Seeldraeyers, (Bel) Quick Step
• DNF – Matteo Tosatto, (Ita) Quick Step
• DNF – Janez Brajkovic, (Slo) Team Radioshack
• DNF – Matthew Busche, (USA) Team Radioshack
• DNF – Markel Irizar Aranburu, (Esp) Team Radioshack
• DNF – Grégory Rast, (Sui) Team Radioshack
• DNF – Ivan Rovny, (Rus) Team Radioshack
• DNF – Haimar Zubeldia Agirre, (Esp) Team Radioshack
• DNF – Oscar Freire Gomez, (Esp) Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF – Mauricio Ardila Cano, (Col) Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF – Dmitry Kozontchuk, (Rus) Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF – Sebastian Langeveld, (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF – Paul Martens, (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF – Grischa Niermann, (Ger) Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF – Dennis Van Winden, (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
• DNF – Edvald Boasson Hagen, (Nor) Team Sky
• DNF – John-Lee Augustyn, (Rsa) Team Sky
• DNF – Bradley Wiggins, (Gbr) Team Sky
• DNF – Dario David Cioni, (Ita) Team Sky
• DNF – Stephen Cummings, (Gbr) Team Sky
• DNF – Kjell Carlström, (Fin) Team Sky
• DNF – Peter Velits, (Svk) HTC-Columbia
• DNF – Martin Velits, (Svk) HTC-Columbia
• DNF – Kanstantsin Sivtsov, (Blr) HTC-Columbia
• DNF – Marco Pinotti, (Ita) HTC-Columbia
• DNF – Adam Hansen, (Aus) HTC-Columbia
• DNF – Michael Albasini, (Sui) HTC-Columbia
• DNF – Filippo Pozzato, (Ita) Team Katusha
• DNF – Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver, (Esp) Team Katusha
• DNF – Alexandr Kolobnev, (Rus) Team Katusha
• DNF – Pavel Brutt, (Rus) Team Katusha
• DNF – Egor Silin, (Rus) Team Katusha
• DNF – Markus Eichler, (Ger) Milram
• DNF – Markus Fothen, (Ger) Milram
• DNF – Wim De Vocht, (Bel) Milram
• DNF – Dominik Roels, (Ger) Milram
• DNF – Gerald Ciolek, (Ger) Milram
• DNF – Paul Voss, (Ger) Milram
• DNF – Andy Schleck, (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
• DNF – André Steensen, (Den) Team Saxo Bank
• DNF – Chris Sörensen, (Den) Team Saxo Bank
• DNF – Gustav Larsson, (Swe) Team Saxo Bank
• DNF – Matti Breschel, (Den) Team Saxo Bank
• DNF – Richie Porte, (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
• DNF – Anders Lund, (Den) Team Saxo Bank

Gilbert makes it two-in-a-row at Giro di Lombardia

Gilbert emerged at the front of the field with Michele Scarponi (Diquigiovanni-Androni) with 30km remaining following a series of attacks by riders including Vladimir Gusev (Katusha), Giovanni Visconti (ISD) and Liquigas’ Vincenzo Nibali over the final 50km of a rain-soaked race near Lake Como in Italy. Gilbert entered the race as a clear favorite, despite a new, longer and more difficult route that benefited the climbers in the peloton.

On the day’s final climb, Gilbert moved ahead of Scarponi with about 5km to go and soloed in for his second successive victory in the classic known as “the race of the falling leaves.”

Monaco-based Gilbert made it two wins in three days as Thursday he carried off the Tour of Piedmont, also for the second straight year, compensation in part for missing out on his main objective of the season, the world championships in Australia two weeks ago.

Saturday he strove from the outset to impose his superiority.

And victory was assured once he had negotiated the tough 9.5km, 6.6 percent-grade Sormano climb with 41km to go. After a 20km flat stretch on the shores of Lake Como, leading into the final climb at San Fermo della Battagila, he rode alone to the finish.

“I said the descent would be even tougher than the (San Fermo) climb,” said Gilbert, who had clearly done his homework.

Liquigas all-rounder Nibali had hoped to give home fans their first classic win of the season, but instead this has been a barren vintage for the Italians.

Sanchez for his part had finished on the podium three times since 2006 but was  unable to pull off a repeat in the 104th edition of a race won by such luminaries as Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Sean Kelly.

Brief results
1. Philippe Gilbert (B), Omega Pharma, 260km in 6:46:32 (38.373kph)
2. Michele Scarponi (I), Diquigiovanni-Androni, at 0:12
3. Pablo Lastras (Sp), Caisse d’Epargne, at 0:55
4. Jakob Fuglsang (Dk), Saxo Bank, at 1:08
5. Vincenzo Nibali (I), Liquigas, at 1:08
6. Samuel Sanchez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 1:12
7. Mikel Nieve (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2:07
8. Mauro Santambrogio (I), BMC, at 3:01
9. Carlos Barredo (Sp), Quick Step, at 3:25
10. Giampaolo Caruso (I), Katusha, at 3:50
FULL RESULTS

Philippe Gilbert in brief

Born: July 5, 1982, Aywaille, Belgium
Height: 1.79 m
Weight: 67 kg

Teams: Francaise des Jeux (2003 to 2008), Omega Pharma (since 2009)

Major wins:

One-day races
Giro di Lombardia 2009 and 2010
Amstel Gold Race 2010
Paris-Tours 2008 and 2009
Het Volk 2006 and 2008

Grand Tours
Giro d’Italia: Stage 20, (Anagni) 2009
Vuelta a Espana: Stage 3 (Malaga) and Stage 19 (Toledo) in 2010)

The peloton climbs above Lake Como in 2009. | Graham Watson photo

Clearly, Gilbert is nervous that he might have trouble staying with the true climbers on the Sormano, a difficult new climb that organizer Angelo Zomegnan (who also runs the Giro d’Italia for RCS) has inserted into the 104th edition of Lombardia right after the race’s previously most difficult climb, the spectacular Madonna del Ghisallo.

This double-whammy, in effect, equates to 1,130 meters (3,707 feet) of vertical climbing in 20km, with a short respite in the middle. On that amount of uphill work, the pure climbers could put a minute or so into the all-arounders like Gilbert, a deficit that he’ll be hard-pressed to regain over the remaining 41km to the finish in Como.

That’s because the steep 13km descent from the Colma di Sormano, where riders like ace descender Vincenzo Nibali could gain even more time, is followed by 15km of tight, twisting roads alongside the lake into Como, where the riders face several sharp turns in the 5km of city streets before hitting the closing climb, the San Fermo della Battaglia.

It was on the 2.8km, 7-percent San Fermo that Gilbert played his cards brilliantly at last year’s Lombardia. After his then teammate Cadel Evans closed down aggressive moves on the early half of the narrow, winding climb, Gilbert waited to make his decisive attack on the steepest 10-percent pitch. Only Spain’s Samuel Sanchez could catch him before the descent to the lakeside in Como, where Gilbert just took the two-man sprint to win the then 242km race.

Only 16 riders were left in the mix before that final showdown. Expect a lot fewer to be in at the kill this Saturday because, besides the new Sormano climb, the Italian super-classic has been lengthened to 260km, with the start now in Milan.

Omega Pharma-Lotto’s Gilbert showed Thursday that he has maintained the good form he had at the Vuelta a España and word championships, but he’s still anxious to see the new route on his Friday reconnaissance ride. What he’ll find is that the Sormano climb itself is 9.4km long with an average grade of 6.6 percent; it bypasses the legendary Muro di Sormano (a 1.7km “wall” averaging 17 percent with a 25-percent kicker at the top) that another Giro organizer, the colorful Vincenzo Torriani, inserted into the Lombardy course in the early 1960s.

But Zomegnan’s innovative changes to the course will perhaps have a greater effect on the race than Torriani’s 50 years ago — the Muro was so steep that most of the riders walked it and the hill record was a painfully slow 9:40 (just 10.5 kph) set by world and Olympic champion Ercole Baldini in 1962. No one will be dismounting on Saturday, but the Sormano climb could well unhitch many riders’ chances of winning the so-called Race of the Falling Leaves.

Who can challenge Gilbert?

A long 2010 season may be about to end, but there are still a dozen or so men who have aspirations to win what many call the most beautiful classic. All the world’s best teams are competing, including Team RadioShack that initially was being denied a starting slot. That’s good news for the American squad, which is fielding three of its very best climbers, Jani Brajkovic, Chris Horner and Haimar Zubeldia.

Gilbert goes on the attack in 2009. | Graham Watson photo

Lombardy is a race in which Horner has always excelled (he was one of the men in the final selection last year), and with stronger team support than before on a course that better suits his abilities in his best-ever season, the evergreen Californian has to be one of Gilbert’s strongest challengers.

Even higher on the list of pre-race favorites is British-born Irishman Dan Martin of Garmin-Transitions, who this year has developed into one of the most explosive climbers in the peloton. Once he overcame allergy problems this spring, Martin, 24, enjoyed a break-out year. In the past three months, he has placed third at Italy’s five-day Brixia Tour, won the week-long Tour of Poland (including a brilliant solo win in a semi-mountain stage), won the Three Varesine Valleys classic in Italy and, last Saturday, placed second in the ultra-hilly Tour of Emilia.

In the uphill Emilia finish, an inspired Martin went to the front and blitzed a 14-man lead group in less than 2km; he was out-kicked in the last turn by defending champ Robert Gesink of Rabobank, while Italy’s Michele Scarponi was the only other rider to stay with Martin, taking third. If Martin is not too impatient — he attacked too early in last year’s Lombardia and ended up in eighth — and allows Garmin teammates like Tom Danielson and Peter Stetina to protect him until the crucial climbs, he should podium.

Gesink would have been the top Lombardy favorite, but he’s not starting; his father suffered a serious fall in a mountain bike race last Sunday so the young Dutchman returned to the Netherlands to be with him in the hospital.

In Gesink’s absence, Team Androni’s Scarponi and the next two Emilia finishers, Alexandr Kolobnev of Katusha and Nibali of Liquigas, have better chances of overcoming the less-experienced Martin. Scarponi can count on his co-leader Leonardo Bertagnolli (who was second to Gilbert on Thursday); Kolobnev has strong support in Spanish teammate Joaquim Rodriguez (who’s defending his overall No. 1 world ranking on Saturday), and their Italian colleague Filippo Pozzato (who placed fourth in Gran Piemonte) is also fancying his chances. As for Nibali, one of the strongmen at the worlds after winning the Vuelta, he has tireless team workers in Valerio Agnoli and Sylvester Szmyd.

On paper, Saxo Bank also has a powerful lineup, with top climbers Andy Schleck, Jakob Fuglsang, Richie Porte and Chris Anker Sørensen, but team leader Schleck hasn’t finished a race since he was pulled from the Vuelta for contravening team rules, so the Danish team’s best chance comes from Fuglsang — who was one of the best riders on the climbs in Emilia.

Perhaps the strongest team in Emilia was the second-tier Italian squad, Colnago-CSF, whose Domenico Pozzovivo, Gianluca Brambilla and Simone Stortoni all played prominent roles, with climber Pozzovivo placing sixth. The leader of another small Italian team with a chance of a top-10 finish this Saturday is Germany’s Patrick Sinkewitz of ISD-Neri, who’s resurrecting his career after a two-year doping suspension.

The 'race of the falling leaves' marks the end of a long season.

There are other individuals who could pull of a surprise in Lombardia. These include Sinkewitz’s ISD teammate Giovanni Visconti, who has taken first place in the European Calendar rankings for the second year; the young Colombian climber Rigoberto Uran of Caisse d’Épargne; the Dutchman Dries Devenyns of Quick Step (fifth on Thursday); and perhaps Euskaltel-Euskadi’s Olympic champion Sanchez, whose form is suspect but who knows how to rise to the big occasion.

One other rider, who didn’t compete in Emilia and pulled out of Gran Piemonte at the feed zone (as he always likes to do two days before Lombardia), has a big chance in the final classic. That would be the 2009 world champion, Cadel Evans of BMC Racing, who sacrificed his own chances to help then teammate Gilbert 12 months ago.

Who says Evans is a contender? Well, listen to what Gilbert said after he was asked Thursday who his main opponents would be this Saturday: “Evans and Kolobnev above all, then Nibali and Visconti.”

The big questions for Gilbert are 1) can he stay with climbers Martin, Scarponi, Nibali, Evans, Fuglsang and Pozzovivo on the Sormano, or 2) can he bridge to a potential lead group on the Sormano descent that he’s so anxious to see? But even should the 28-year-old Belgian favorite be in, say, a seven-man break that hits the San Fermo della Battaglia 8km from the finish, he won’t have a teammate like Evans to close down the climbers.

In that situation, a highly motivated Martin might well break out to become the first Irishman to win this splendid classic since Sean Kelly took the third of his three Tour of Lombardy titles in 1991.

Preliminary Start List

2010 TOUR OF LOMBARDY FAVORITES

*****Gilbert
**** Martin, Nibali, Scarponi
*** Evans, Kolobnev, Pozzovivo
** Fuglsang. Pozzato, Visconti
* Devenyns, Sinkewitz, Sanchez, Uran

1930 — The impatient breakaway riders don't want the peloton to catch up, and because there's no sign of a train, they decide to climb the crossing's imposing iron fence. Photo: Reprinted with permission from The Spring Classic.

In their hearts, Italians know that la Classica delle Foglie Morte, “the Classic of the Falling Leaves,” is perhaps not the greatest in terms of international prestige. But the Giro di Lombardia remains dear to Italy and to cycling. It is Milan–San Remo’s autumnal counterpart, the cornerstone of a certain form of cycling, filled with hope and reminiscence, and wedded to the blue coves of Lake Como.

In a century of existence, the Tour of Lombardy has undergone numerous course changes that have not always been inspired but have in any case contributed to its durability. Disappointed by Rik Van Looy’s sprint victory in 1959, and ignoring loud protests by Jacques Anquetil, organizer Vincenzo Torriani steered the following year’s race toward the Wall of Sormano. This narrow projection dug from a mountainside, a sort of 2 km–long geographical monstrosity, featured frightful passages of 22 percent that climbed, unprotected, above deep ravines. One of the only riders to cross safely would, curiously, be small Belgian sprinter Émile Daems. Most of his rivals would have no choice but to climb the Sormano on foot in a savage transposition of Belgium’s Koppenberg, the bane of riders in the Tour of Flanders.

From The Spring Classics: The Tour of Lombardy, the Most Beautiful of Them All

The Tour of Lombardy thus evolved from one extreme to the other, constantly seeking a better script but without ever abandoning its distinctiveness—and, most importantly, without ever turning away from the Madonna del Ghisallo, the essence of its being. The celebrated Ghisallo is almost a natural mausoleum, with its 10 km slope and its small hilltop chapel, which is filled with champions’ bicycles, woolen jerseys, and other relics of the illustrious cycling heroes of yesteryear and is reputed to protect the riders. Outside the chapel, a bronze bust of Fausto Coppi faces the road, as if to remind riders that history remains subject to the injunctions of the past.

Coppi was for many years the leading man on the Ghisallo, the great dignitary of this mountain-minded classic that never allows false hopes to last long. The roads twisting around Lake Como are exacting, the spectators are passionate, and a prewinter cold is often rampant.

There was actually a time when French teams were reluctant to make the journey to northern Italy in October, basing their fears on the opinions of their elders. “The Tour of Lombardy is a terrible race,” said Francis Pélissier in 1946. “It is often run in the snow; and then you cross small towns with zigzagging streets covered with rails and gutters. The roads are narrow and the Italians run riot. In 1921, my mission was to start the final sprint for my brother Henri when [Costante] Girardengo grabbed me by the jersey! I crashed to the ground, under Henri’s wheel; but that’s how it is in Italy, and I don’t think Émile Idée [Coppi’s contemporary] and the other Frenchmen can do much better.”

Another French racer, Raphaël Geminiani, also remembered those days: “When a Frenchman announced he was going to ride in the Tour of Lombardy we all looked at him with round eyes. We took him for a madman or a megalomaniac.”

It was as if the Tour of Lombardy were reserved just for Italians, and especially Coppi, who won it five times, including four in a row. On each occasion, he finished the race on his own following a perfected formula. He controlled his rivals until the climb of the Ghisallo, that impregnable bastion he could have climbed with his eyes closed, and then dropped them one by one by the summit, before doubling his lead on the descent to Erba without ever looking back, using his light, agile, and highly efficient pedal stroke. According to writer Ciro Venatti of Corriere della Serra, Coppi was “a lover of peaks and solitude.” French writer and race organizer Jacques Goddet said that “his ease allows him to surpass the usual data of road cycling.”

1961 — The riders are still winding along the waterfront roads of Lake Como on their way to the rugged gradients of the Madonnna de Ghisallo before heading to the even steep climb of the Sormano. Photo: Reprinted with permission from The Spring Classic.

Like all the classics, the Tour of Lombardy has experienced good and bad years, mixed results. In 1953, Pierre Molineris narrowly missed out on victory when misdirected by a security guard just before the last straightaway, leaving victory to an unknown Italian, Bruno Landi, from whom nothing was ever heard again.

A few years later the whimsical Gerben Karstens had his first place taken away and handed to Belgium’s Jean-Pierre Monseré for a doping violation. The Dutchman had received the news speechlessly, given that he had handed the inspectors from the sport’s governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), a sample of his soigneur’s urine rather than his own, without imagining for an instant that the soigneur in question was doping!

The Tour of Lombardy has also been the setting of a few messy disputes. In 1975, Belgians Merckx, Freddy Maertens, and Roger De Vlaeminck accused Italy’s Francesco Moser of having caught them from behind after riding in the draft of an Italian TV car. That was nothing new in Italy, where the stranieri, the “foreigners,” often fell victim to underhanded combinazione, or deals among the natives.

In 1986, when everyone expected a sprinter to triumph in Milan, the race ended in discord and resignation following the unexpected victory of climber Gianbattista Baronchelli. The Italian had extricated himself unchallenged from the leading group some kilometers from the finish at Milan’s magnificent cathedral. Behind him, Ireland’s Sean Kelly passed the responsibility of chasing him to Australia’s Phil Anderson—but not without reminding Anderson that he owed Kelly for his help in winning the preceding Paris-Tours classic. But Anderson turned a deaf ear, giving Baronchelli the win.

The Spring Classics is published by VeloPress

After investigation, it appeared that Kelly, the reigning champion, had not fully defended his title after a midrace conversation with bike builder Ernesto Colnago, one of Baronchelli’s sponsors. When the Irishman won in 1983, in a photo finish ahead of American Greg LeMond, it was the very first of his multiple classics victories; he would win Lombardia again in 1985 and 1991.

The race has seen many moments of truth and absolute lyricism, as when Bernard Hinault won in a downpour in 1979, after an imperial 60 km breakaway with an ultimately exhausted Silvano Contini. Another Frenchman, Charly Mottet, performed a solo on the Corso Venezia in Milan and sealed an athletically stunning win, after a 100 km breakaway launched in the spectacular Valcava climb. In 2006, Italy’s recently crowned world champion, Paolo Bettini, collapsed in tears in Como as he crossed the line first in a final tribute to his brother Sauro, who had died in a car crash just days before. And in 2009, Philippe Gilbert scored the biggest victory of his career to become the first Belgian in 30 years to conquer this most beautiful of classics.

The Tour of Lombardy is all of this at once: an antique theater of light and shadow, a nostalgic salute to a land already turning toward winter. Each year, on Como’s Lario Trento, as the last riders mingle with traffic on their way to the showers, the setting sun marks the end of another season of road racing.

“I am really honored to show my world champion’s jersey,” said Hushovd. “Lombardia will be the last race in the history of Cervélo TestTeam, and it is a privilege to line up together with my teammates with the jersey on my shoulders.”

Hushovd is postponing the operation he had scheduled to take out the plates inserted in his collarbone after his crash in May.

RCS Sport, which organizes the October 16 event, said that UCI ppresident Pat McQuaid had agreed for a 26th team  —RadioShack — to be admitted to the event, which had listed 25 teams last week. VeloNews reported on Friday that the initial RadioShack exclusion was an unintended oversight by the race.

Teams for the Tour of Lombardy

Italy: Acqua & Sapone, Androni, ISD, Lampre, Liquigas

France: AG2R-La Mondiale, Bbox, Cofidis, FDJ

United States: BMC, Garmin, HTC-Columbia, RadioShack

Belgium: Omega Pharma, Quick Step

Spain: Caisse d’Epargne, Euskaltel

Britain: Carmiooro, Sky

Germany: Milram

Denmark: Saxo Bank

Ireland: CSF

Kazakhstan: Astana

Netherlands: Rabobank

Russia: Katusha

Switzerland: Cervelo

After investigating the news, VeloNews has learned that the team will indeed be on the start line of the Lombardy race October 17. “There was an oversight by the organizers,” an inside source told this VeloNews. “A letter confirming the invitation was lost apparently. And so they are working with the UCI to work things out so the team can start the race.”

Horner has a fine record at the Tour of Lombardy, having placed 11th, 10th, seventh and 12th in the four times he has participated in the Italian race. Now he’ll have a chance to do even better.

The team claims to have been assured of participation in the October 16 event, the ‘race of the falling leaves’ and the final one-day classic of the cycling season.

However earlier this week organizer RCS Sport issued a list of participating teams that did not feature RadioShack. It is the second major snub of the season for the American outfit, which was not invited to the Vuelta a Espana. The team itself surprised some by opting not to send a squad to May’s Giro d’Italia

A statement from the team on Friday read: “In January 2010, an agreement was reached between Team RadioShack and RCS Sport regarding the participation of the US Team at the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy) 2010.

“Totally surprised, Team RadioShack learned through the press, on September 6, that it was not included in the list of teams participating at the Italian event.

“Team RadioShack has immediately summoned RCS Sport before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS), seeking compensation for damages due to the nonfulfillment of the contract between Team RadioShack and RCS Sport regarding the participation in the Tour of Lombardy.”

CAS has been asked to rule on the case as soon as possible.

RadioShack, which is managed by Johan Bruyneel, are one of 18 ProTour teams and, as such, expect to be invited to all of the season’s top races.

However confusion reigns over the fact that many top races, including the Tour de France and the Tour of Lombardy, have opted not to be part of the UCI ProTour. The race is the final event on the UCI’s World Ranking points series, however.

RadioShack’s seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong, who competed in his final Tour in July, was not expected to race in Lombardy.

Both Armstrong and Bruyneel were recently accused by former team rider Floyd Landis of being involved in doping practices throughout much of the American superstar’s career, a charge both men have categorically denied.

There is no indication that those allegations, which are being probed by federal investigators in the United States, played a role in any decisions not to invite the team.

25 teams for Tour of Lombardy:

Italy: Acqua & Sapone, Androni, ISD, Lampre, Liquigas

France: AG2R-La Mondiale, Bbox, Cofidis, FDJ

United States: BMC, Garmin-Transitions, HTC-Columbia

Belgium: Omega Pharma, Quick Step

Spain: Caisse d’Epargne, Euskaltel-Euskadi

Britain: Carmiooro, Sky

Germany: Milram

Denmark: Saxo Bank

Ireland: CSF

Kazakhstan: Astana

Netherlands: Rabobank

Russia: Katusha

Switzerland: Cervelo TestTeam

Giro di Lombardia: Gilbert says he knew he had this one in the bag.

Photo: Agence France Presse

With four kilometers to go, it was obvious that an Italian wasn’t going to win Giro di Lombardia for the ninth consecutive year.

A Belgian and a Spaniard ? Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) and Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – were 12 seconds clear of a chasing group that included three-time winner Damiano Cunego (Lampre), enough gap to end the Italian stranglehold on the season-concluding fall classic.

With reigning world champion Cadel Evans playing the role as super-domestique in the final climb at the San Fermo de la Batalla, Gilbert shot clear and only Olympic champion Sánchez could stay close.

Riding the form that delivered him victories at Coppa Sabatini, Paris-Tours and Giro del Piemonte earlier this month, Gilbert fended off Sánchez to claim his fourth win in the past 10 days and the first “monument” of his career.

Alexandr Kolobnev (Saxo Bank), silver medalist at the Mendrisio worlds, led the chasers through at four seconds back to round out the podium.

Giro di Lombardia: The fall classic in summer-like conditions.

Photo: Graham Watson

“It’s been such an incredible week for me and it’s just amazing to win such an important race,” a happy Gilbert said at the line. “It’s been an incredible run for me the past few days. I was strong at the worlds and I wanted to take advantage of it with these final races. To win here means so much to me.”

Just as the worlds proved a monkey off the back of Evans, finally winning one of cycling’s five “monuments” at Lombardia will also take some pressure off Gilbert, who’s come close to glory a major one-day classic before.

This year alone, he was third at the Tour of Flanders and fourth at both Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

After winning a stage at the Giro d’Italia, Gilbert skipped the Tour de France and raced the Vuelta a España to prepare for Mendrisio. He was active throughout the Spanish tour, finishing second in stage 11 and sixth in the final time trial to reveal his form was peaking just in time for the worlds.

In Switzerland, it was professional teammate Evans who made the winning move to claim the rainbow jersey, with Gilbert crossing the line with a solid sixth place.

Giro di Lombardia: Sanchez, Gilbert and Kolobnev.

Photo: Graham Watson

Frustrated by the close call for worlds glory, Gilbert turned that energy toward the final races of the season. He’s certainly gone out with a bang, claiming four wins in the past 10 days, including defending his win at Paris-Tours, to sweep the last major events of the 2009 season.

“After winning here, this will give me even more motivation to try to win Milan-San Remo and Liège next year,” Gilbert said. “I had good legs. Sánchez was strong on the final climb, but I was confident I could beat him in the final sprint. I am super happy.”

Evans came through with the Kolobnev group in 10th, with Daniel Martin (Garmin-Slipstream) crossing the line seventh.

Race Note
Spaniard Alberto Losada (Caisse d’Epargne), injured his right wrist in a crash. Losada suffered an apparent fracture of his Scaphoid bone, an injury that will be further analyzed upon his return to Barcelona.

Recent winners

1999: Mirko Celestino (I)
2000: Raimondas Rumsas (Ltu)
2001: Danilo Di Luca (I)
2002: Michele Bartoli (I)
2003: Michele Bartoli (I)
2004: Damiano Cunego (I)
2005: Paolo Bettini (I)
2006: Paolo Bettini (I)
2007: Damiano Cunego (I)
2008: Damiano Cunego (I)
2009: Philippe Gilbert (B)

Photo Gallery

Results

Results – 2009 Giro di Lombardia
1. Philippe Gilbert (B), Silence-Lotto, 242km in 5:43:46(41.54 kph)
2. Samuel Sanchez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, same time
3. Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus), Saxo Bank, at 0:04
4. Luca Paolini (I), Acqua & Sapone-Caffe Mokambo, at 0:04
5. Johnny Hoogerland (Nl,), Vacansoleil, at 0:04
6. Robert Gesink (Nl), Rabobank, at 0:04
7. Alexander Vinokourov (Kz), Astana, at 0:04
8. Daniel Martin (Irl), Garmin, at 0:04
9. Juan Jose Cobo (Sp), Fuji-Servetto, at 0:04
10. Cadel Evans (Aus),Silence-Lotto, at 0:04
11. Leonardo Bertagnolli (I), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 0:04
12. Christopher Horner (U.S.), Astana, at 0:04
13. Ivan Basso (I), Liquigas, at 0:04
14. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre-NGC, at 0:04
15. Francesco Masciarelli (I), Acqua e Sapone, at 0:10
16. Jakob Fuglsang (Dk), Saxo Bank, at 0:15
17. Mauro Santambrogio (I), Lampre-NGC, at 0:44
18. Dries Devenyns (B), Quick Step, at 0:46
19. Oliver Zaugg (Swi), Liquigas, at 0:46
20. Tadej Valjavec (Slo), Ag2r, at 0:46
21. Rigoberto Uran (Col), Caisse d’Epargne, at 0:46
22. Janez Brajkovic (Slo), Astana, at 0:46
23. Chris Sörensen (Dk), Saxo Bank, at 0:46
24. Alberto Fernandez (Sp), Fuji-Servetto, at 0:58
25. Dario Cataldo (I), Quick Step, at 1:15
26. Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por), Caisse d’Epargne, at 1:15
27. Matteo Carrara (I), Vacansoleil , at 1:33
28. Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Sp), Quick Step, at 1:33
29. Alessandro Ballan (I), Lampre-NGC, at 1:33
30. Oscar Pujol Munoz (Sp), Cervélo TestTeam, at 1:55
31. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus), Katusha, at 2:01
32. Fabian Wegmann (G), Milram, at 2:01
33. Luca Mazzanti (I), Katusha, at 2:01
34. Kim Kirchen (Lux), Columbia-HTC, at 2:01
35. Pablo Lastras Garcia (Sp), Caisse d’Epargne, at 2:01
36. Maxime Monfort (B), Columbia-HTC, at 2:01
37. Gustav Larsson (S), Saxo Bank, at 2:01
38. Vasili Kiryienka (Blr), Caisse d’Epargne, at 2:08
39. Matthew Lloyd (Aus), Silence-Lotto, at 2:08
40. Philip Deignan (Irl), Cervélo TestTeam, at 2:28
41. David De La Fuente Rasilla (Sp), Fuji-Servetto, at 2:34
42. Paul Martens (G), Rabobank, at 2:34
43. Sergey Lagutin (Uzb), Vacansoleil , at 2:53
44. Vladimir Efimkin (Rus), Ag2r, at 2:53
45. Nico Sijmens (B), Cofidis , at 2:53
46. Craig Lewis (U.S.), Columbia-HTC, at 2:53
47. Jan Bakelandts (B), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 2:53
48. Mikael Cherel (F), Française Des Jeux, at 2:53
49. Ruggero Marzoli (I), Acqua e Sapone, at 2:53
50. Hubert Schwab (Swi), Quick Step, at 2:53
51. Gorazd Stangelj (Slo), Liquigas, at 2:53
52. Michal Golas (Pol), Vacansoleil , at 2:53
53. Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz), Astana, at 2:53
54. Ivan Velasco Murillo (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 2:53
55. Daniel Fleeman (GB), Cervélo TestTeam, at 2:53
56. Andrea Masciarelli (I), Acqua e Sapone, at 2:53
57. Sébastien Minard (F), Cofidis , at 2:53
58. Pavel Brutt (Rus), Katusha, at 2:53
59. Matteo Tosatto (I), Quick Step, at 2:53
60. Alexsandr Dyachenko (Kaz), Astana, at 2:53
61. Massimo Codol (I), Acqua e Sapone, at 2:53
62. Francesco Failli (I), Acqua e Sapone, at 2:53
63. Francesco Gavazzi (I), Lampre-NGC, at 2:53
64. Volodymir Gustov (Ukr), Cervélo TestTeam, at 2:53
65. Thomas Danielson (U.S.), Garmin-Slipstream, at 2:53
66. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Katusha, at 2:53
67. Eros Capecchi (I), Fuji-Servetto, at 2:53
68. Kevin De Weert (B), Quick Step, at 3:01
69. Giovanni Visconti (I), ISD, at 3:01
70. Bauke Mollema (Nl), Rabobank, at 3:09
71. Javier Aramendia Lorente (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 4:04
72. Evgeny Petrov (Rus), Katusha, at 4:03
73. Sven Renders (B), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 4:03
74. Nikita Eskov (Rus), Katusha, at 4:03
75. Johann Tschopp (Swi), BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 4:03
76. Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr), Columbia-HTC, at 4:03
77. Johannes Fröhlinger (G), Milram, at 4:03
78. Michael Barry (Can), Columbia-HTC, at 4:03
79. Thomas Voeckler (F), BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 4:03
80. Sylvester Szmyd (Pol), Liquigas, at 6:02
81. Manuele Mori (I), Lampre-NGC, at 6:03
82. Ivan Santaromita (I), Liquigas, at 6:03
83. Aitor Hernandez Gutierrez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 6:03
84. Ruslan Podgornyy (Ukr), ISD, at 6:03
85. Morris Possoni (I), Columbia-HTC, at 6:03
86. Christian Meier (Can), Garmin-Slipstream, at 6:19
87. Marco Pinotti (I), Columbia-HTC, at 6:52
88. Michele Scarponi (I), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 6:53
89. Grischa Niermann (G), Rabobank, at 6:53
90. Bartosz Huzarski (Pol), ISD, at 6:53
91. Mickaël Buffaz (F), Cofidis , at 8:00
92. Lieuwe Westra (Nl), Vacansoleil , at 8:00
93. Vladimir Miholjevic (Cro), Liquigas, at 8:00
94. Serguei Klimov (Rus), Katusha, at 8:00
95. Nicolas Roche (Irl), Ag2r, at 8:00
96. Inaki Isasi Flores (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 8:00
97. Marco Marzano (I), Lampre-NGC, at 8:00
98. Fabrice Piemontesi (I), Fuji-Servetto, at 11:18
99. G. Luca Mirenda (I), ISD, at 11:19
100. Christophe Brandt (B), Silence-Lotto, at 11:19
101. Gerben Löwik (Nl), Vacansoleil , at 11:19
102. Lars Boom (Nl), Rabobank, at 11:19
103. Fabio Taborre (I), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 11:19
104. Valerio Agnoli (I), Liquigas, at 11:19
105. Maryan Hary (F), Cofidis , at 11:19
106. Jean-Eudes Demaret (F), Cofidis , at 11:19
107. Reinier Honig (Nl), Vacansoleil , at 11:19
108. Olivier Kaisen (B), Silence-Lotto, at 16:17
109. Geert Steurs (B), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 16:17
110. Kristof Vandewalle (B), Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, at 16:17
111. Thomas Rohregger (Aut), Milram, at 16:17
112. Cyril Dessel (F), Ag2r, at 16:17
113. Marco Velo (I), Quick Step, at 16:17
114. Alexandre Usov (Blr), Cofidis , at 16:17
115. Vitaliy Kondrut (Ukr), ISD, at 16:17
116. Huub Duyn (Nl), Garmin-Slipstream, at 16:17
117. Paul Voss (G), Milram, at 17:10
118. Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Sp), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, at 17:10
119. Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn), BBox Bouygues Telecom, at 17:10
120. Wouter Poels (Nl), Vacansoleil , at 17:20