Events

Il Lombardia 2016: The Largest Autumn Classic

The Giro di Lombardia is an annual road race held in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, typically starting or finishing around the stunning Lake Como. This region is home to many famous cycling manufactures including Santini themselves. Il Lombardia is usually one of the last events in the UCI World Tour calendar as the largest autumn classic in cycling, and this year’s one day race is held on the 1st October and celebrates it’s 110th edition. To celebrate this, Santini have designed and developed this stunning exclusive cycling kit for Probikekit.

History of the Race

The race began back in 1905 and over the years has become more and more demanding. As the race has developed over the years it is now certainly renowned for being a climbers course. This year they had added another dimension to it and will incorporate a tight cobbled steep section at the finish. The riders will be feeling the pain of not only the miles that they will have already covered but also the pain of the gradient and uneven surface of the cobbles. This will be a fine chance to attack whilst rivals are in the red to try and take the win on the day. So all the big climbers will be fancying their chances for this Victory. The legendary  Fausto Coppi currently holds the most wins accumulating to a whopping five, with Vincenzo Nibali taking the 2015 title. After a recent fall Nibali appears to be absent for this one, so will his team mate Fabio Aru be able to take the crown for Astana?

The Climbing Profile

The Tour of Lomardy is famous for it’s climbing profile; one in particular,  the Madonna del Ghisallo which is famously known in the cycling world as the ‘Patron Saint’ of cycling. The iconic stories behind the climb itself is amazing. It is reported that the medieval Count of Ghisallo saw the figure of the Virgin Mary at the top of the climb whom he ran towards in a desperate attempt to save him from an attack of robbers,  legend has it that he was then saved from the robbers and lived to tell the tale. These spiritual stories attract cyclists from all over the world and is now known as a place to mourn the fallen in the sport.

The church that sits at the top of the climb sees many cyclists come through the doors daily to see all of the memorabilia that has been collected over there the years. This spiritual place has anchored itself in the Lombardia race from the start and is often used in the famous Giro d’Italia too. The climb itself is approximately 30 mins long for a fit climber, 9.2 km in length and has an average gradient of 6%.

madonna-del-ghisallo-profile

Image source: Strava

Il Lombardia sees an additional two new climbs added to the route this year: Sant’Antonio Abbandonato and Miragolo San Salvatore.

Il Lombardia Clothing Range by Santini

This family owned company whom are still very much at the forefront on the business have grown in more ways than one over the years now employs a large workforce that work at the top end of their profession in creating cutting edge technology. The production, from the designs to the end product happens under one roof near Bergamo, Italy and is monitored from start to finish to ensure the highest of quality. This also gives them the chance to alter, change and perfect items whilst in production if need be. Garments in the Santini range are developed and tested by professional, experienced cyclists who know the importance of technical apparel when it is needed the most. The factory walls are decorated in pictures and framed jerseys of their successes. Until you look at this collage of winners littering the walls of the Santini factory you don’t realise what a impact they have made in cycling’s history. The brand is always on top of the game when it comes to producing special one off designs whilst using the most innovative and technically superior fabrics.

As the official clothing sponsors Santini have created some beautiful designs to celebrate the 110th edition of the race this year. The jersey, known as Classica delle Foglie Morte, and the rest of the kit has been designed to fit in with the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’ theme:

The 2016 racing kit is inspired by a typical autumn day in Lombardy with red, yellow and orange leaves falling from the trees.

The stunning Santini Il Lombardia clothing range consists of a jersey, bibshorts, gloves, warmers, socks and a cap:

 

Save

Take a look at our Il Lombardia bundle offer to save £77 for buying the whole kit!

Feature image courtesy of: Beardy McBeard



Writer and expert