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98th Giro di Lombardia - CDM
Italy, October 16, 2004
2003 results Preview Start List Past winners
Lombardia crowns the 2004 season
By Jeff Jones
 |
The major European road season officially finishes with the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), which will celebrate its 98th edition this year. First run in 1905, the race of the falling leaves has only missed two years (1943-44), due to World War II, and is one of the five monuments of cycling. In recent times it has formed part of the World Cup, and this year's race will be an important one for contenders Paolo Bettini (Quick.Step-Davitamon) and Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner), who are split by just 13 points with Bettini holding the lead. Although Bettini has won the World Cup for the last two years, the hilly course favours Rebellin who finished second here in 2002.
The two-time defending champion is the brilliant but very inconsistent Michele Bartoli (CSC), who attacked with Angelo Lopeboselli with 20 km to go in last year's race to take a clear win. Bartoli will form part of CSC's bid for victory this year, but his lack of form means that the team leader's role is likely to fall upon Ivan Basso's shoulders. Basso won the Giro dell'Emilia and rode well in the World Championships, and should be in the final selection on Saturday.
As mentioned above, Quick.Step's Paolo Bettini does not generally find the Lombardy course to his liking, although he does know it quite well. The World Cup should give him extra motivation to keep Rebellin close at hand, even though Rebellin is the better climber. Bettini scouted the last 50 km of the parcours on Wednesday, so he knows what to expect. Unfortunately for Bettini, he will miss two important teammates in Luca Paolini and Nick Nuyens, who are both out with broken bones after last week's Paris-Tours.
Davide Rebellin will be able to count on a strong Gerolsteiner team that is totally committed to ensuring that he is in with a good chance at the finish. Rebellin must finish in the top 13 to recoup the points on Bettini, and even higher than that if Bettini scores any points. Thus, we can expect Gerolsteiner to do its best to control the race and not let a big break get too far away.
An outside favourite for the World Cup is Rabobank's Oscar Freire, who is currently 88 points behind Bettini in the standings. Freire would have to win the race, which is not completely out of the question, but both Bettini and Rebellin would have to finish a fair way down the standings. Rabobank's other options include last week's Paris-Tours winner Erik Dekker, or possibly Danish climber Michael Rasmussen. The team's main man for this race, Michael Boogerd, has been sick since last weekend and it's doubtful whether he'll start.
Saeco will be gunning for its young star Damiano Cunego, who has had an incredible season thus far but just seems to be off the edge of his form. Eddy Mazzoleni, Leonardo Bertagnolli and Mirko Celestino are all useful alternates though, providing the cards fall in their favour.
T-Mobile's Cadel Evans finished fourth in Milano-Torino and is also showing some good late season form. Together with Matthias Kessler, who cam agonisingly close last weekend in Tours, T-Mobile should be able to mount a useful challenge. Liberty Seguros scored an unexpected win with Marcos Serrano in Milano-Torino, and perhaps with Allan Davis could pull of another surprise on Saturday.
Live coverage
Cyclingnews will be covering the Giro di Lombardia live, with coverage starting at 14:30 CEST (Europe)/8:30 EDT (USA East)/5:30 PDT (USA West)/22:30 AEST (Australia East).
Past winners
2003
1. Michele Bartoli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 249 kms (38.184 km/h)
2. Angelo Lopeboselli (Ita) Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone
3. Dario Frigo (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
2002
1. Michele Bartoli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 251 kms (40.98 km/h)
2. Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner
3. Oskar Camenzind (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
2001
1. Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Cantina Tollo 256 kms (38.847 km/h)
2. Giuliano Figueras (Ita) Ceramiche Panaria-Fiordo
3. Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank
2000
1. Raimondas Rumsas (Ltu) Fassa Bortolo 258 kms (40.892 km/h)
2. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Vini Caldirola-Sidermec
3. Niklas Axelsson (Swe) Ceramica Panaria-Gaerne
1999
1. Mirko Celestino (Ita) Polti 262 kms (41.17 km/h)
2. Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Cantina Tollo
3. Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Saeco
1998
1. Oscar Camenzind (Swi) 253 kms (42.282 km/h)
2. Michael Boogerd (Ned)
3. Felice Puttini (Swi)
1997
1. Laurent Jalabert (Fra) 250 kms (43.013 km/h)
2. Paolo Lanfranchi (Ita)
3. Francesco Casagrande (Ita)
1996
1. Andrea Tafi (Ita) 250 kms (42.642 km/h)
2. Fabian Jeker (Swi)
3. Axel Merckx (Bel)
1995
1. Gianni Faresin (Ita) 252 kms (42.116 km/h)
2. Daniele Nardello (Ita)
3. Michele Bartoli (Ita)
1994
1. Vladislav Bobrik (Rus) 244 kms (34.378 km/h)
2. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita)
3. Pascal Richard (Swi)
1993
1. Pascal Richard (Swi) 242 kms (39.821 km/h)
2. Giorgio Furlan (Ita)
3. Max Sciandri (Ita)
1992
1. Tony Rominger (Swi) 241 kms (39.311 km/h)
2. Claudio Chiappucci (Ita)
3. David Cassani (Ita)
1991
1. Sean Kelly (Ire) 242 kms (39.176 km/h)
2. Martial Gayant (Fra)
3. Franco Ballerini (Ita)
1990
1. Gilles Delion (Fra) 246 kms (39.704 km/h)
2. Pascal Richard (Swi)
3. Charly Mottet (Fra)
1989
1. Tony Rominger (Swi) 260 kms (38.368 km/h)
2. Gilles Delion (Fra)
3. Luc Roosen (Bel)
1988
1. Charly Mottet (Fra) 260 kms (38.134 km/h)
2. Gianni Bugno (Ita)
3. Marino Lejaretta (Spa)
1987
1. Moreno Argentin (Ita) 265 kms (38.576 km/h)
2. Eric Van Lancker (Bel)
3. Marc Madiot (Fra)
1986
1. G.B. Baronchelli (Ita) 262 kms (37.329 km/h)
2. Sean Kelly (Ire)
3. Phil Anderson (Aus)
1985
1. Sean Kelly (Ire) 255 kms (41.208 km/h)
2. Adri Van Der Poel (Ned)
3. Charly Mottet (Fra)
1984
1. Bernard Hinault (Fra) 251 kms (40.831 km/h)
2. Ludo Peeters (Bel)
3. Tuen Van Vliet (Ned)
1983
1. Sean Kelly (Ire) 253 kms (39.164 km/h)
2. Greg Lemond (USA)
3. Adri Van Der Poel (Ned)
1982
1. Giuseppe Saronni (Ita) 248 kms (40.754 km/h)
2. Pascal Jules (Fra)
3. Francesco Moser (Ita)
1981
1. Hennie Kuiper (Ned) 259 kms (39.642 km/h)
2. Moreno Argentin (Ita)
3. Alfredo Chinetti (Ita)
1980
1. Alfons de Wolf (Bel) 255 kms (35.747 km/h)
2. Alfredo Chinetti (Ita)
3. Ludo Peeters (Bel)
1979 Bernard Hinault (Fra)
1978 Francesco Moser (Ita)
1977 G.B. Baronchelli (Ita)
1976 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel)
1975 Francesco Moser (Ita)
1974 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel)
1973 Felice Gimondi (Ita)
1972 Eddy Merckx (Bel)
1971 Eddy Merckx (Bel)
1970 Franco Bitossi (Ita)
1969 Jean-Pierre Monseré (Bel)
1968 Herman Van Springel (Bel)
1967 Franco Bitossi (Ita)
1966 Felice Gimondi (Ita)
1965 Tom Simpson (GB)
1964 Gianni Motta (Ita)
1963 Jo De Roo (Ned)
1962 Jo De Roo (Ned)
1961 Vito Taccone (Ita)
1960 Emile Daems (Bel)
1959 Rik Van Looy (Bel)
1958 Nino Defilippis (Ita)
1957 Diego Ronchini (Ita)
1956 André Darrigade (Fra)
1955 Cleto Maule (Ita)
1954 Fausto Coppi (Ita)
1953 Bruno Landi (Ita)
1952 Giuseppe Minardi (Ita)
1951 Louison Bobet (Fra)
1950 Renzo Soldani (Ita)
1949 Fausto Coppi (Ita)
1948 Fausto Coppi (Ita)
1947 Fausto Coppi (Ita)
1946 Fausto Coppi (Ita)
1945 Mario Ricci (Ita)
1942 Aldo Bini (Ita)
1941 Mario Ricci (Ita)
1940 Gino Bartali (Ita)
1939 Gino Bartali (Ita)
1938 Cino Cinelli (Ita)
1937 Aldo Bini (Ita)
1936 Gino Bartali (Ita)
1935 Enrico Mollo (Ita)
1934 Learco Guerra (Ita)
1933 Domenico Piemontesi (Ita)
1932 Antonio Negrini (Ita)
1931 Alfredo Binda (Ita)
1930 Michele Mara (Ita)
1929 Piero Fossati (Ita)
1928 Gaetano Belloni (Ita)
1927 Alfredo Binda (Ita)
1926 Alfredo Binda (Ita)
1925 Alfredo Binda (Ita)
1924 Giovanni Brunero (Ita)
1923 Giovanni Brunero (Ita)
1922 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1921 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1920 Henri Pelissier (Fra)
1919 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1918 Gaetano Belloni (Ita)
1917 Philippe Thijs (Bel)
1916 Leopodo Torricelli (Ita)
1915 Gaetano Belloni (Ita)
1914 Lauro Bordin (Ita)
1913 Henri Pelissier (Fra)
1912 Carlo Oriani (Ita)
1911 Henri Pelissier (Fra)
1910 Giovanni Micheletto (Ita)
1909 Giovanni Cuniolo (Ita)
1908 Francois Faber (Lux)
1907 Gustave Garrigou (Fra)
1906 Giuseppe Brambilla (Ita)
1905 Giovanni Gerbi (Ita)
Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com
