In Italy there are three major races: Two belong to the circuit of the Classiche Monumento with Paris Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and Liege Bastogne Liege: these are Milano - Sanremo also know as the Classicissima cause of his collocation in the first part of the season, and the second one is Il Lombardia that close the professionist season.
The first one is the longest road race of the WorldTour with his 299 chilometers and it's highly cause of his profile. The race in fact crosses the whole of Lombardy to enter Liguria where, only in the final, a succession of short climbs begin. The Cipressa and later the climb of Il Poggio represent the chance for who don't want to finish the race with a sprint.
In the last years many attacks were made here, Vincenzo Nibali in 2018 won the race with a strong effort one chilometer before the summit. Often, however, the race is decided in the final flat kilometers before the finish.
Here a well-organized team can retrieve the fugitives and launch their sprinter in the best possible way, who if he has been protected during the climb will be able to carry out an excellent sprint.
Among the last winners of this race we must mention the names of champions like Wout Van Aert, Julian Alaphilippe, Mark Cavendish, Vincenzo Nibali, Erik Zabel, Oscar Freire, Mario Cipollini, Fabian Cancellara. So if you are looking for a thrilling ending, open to many solutions, the Milan - Sanremo is the race for you.
Furthermore, once you arrive in Liguria, the landscape is breathtaking. The images taken by the helicopter will show you all the beauty of the Via Aurelia that runs for kilometers after kilometers on cliffs overlooking the sea. This year it will be held on March 19th and i twill be the 113th edition.
Il Giro di Lombardia is always a one-day race but is at the end of the cycling calendar putting an end to the two-wheel season. The competition is in fact called "The classic of dead leaves" since it takes place in October.
The race is once again held in Lombardy, but this time the finish is located in Como, along the famous lake or in the city of Bergamo. The competition is also very important for its antiquity and for the winners of past years. Unlike the Milan-Sanremo, the route is much more demanding as regards the elevation profile. There are many more kilometers of climbing such as the famous Muro di Sormano. A climb with average gradients over 10% with peaks over 20%. Look for photos on the internet, you will be amazed. Among the possible winners, therefore, we often find great climbers who in the past have won races such as the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia.
In fact the last winner was the phenomenal Tadej Pogacar. The Uae Emrirates rider have won two Tour de France and he’s only 23 years old. Other important winner were Thibaut Pinot, Vincenzo Nibali, Joaquim Rodriguez, Philippe Gilbert and the olimpic champion Paolo Bettini. The date for this year is 8 october and it will be the 116th edition.
But if there is one race that is recognized all over the world, this is definitely the Giro d'Italia. This race, also called "the Corsa Rosa" due to the color of the newspaper that sponsors it, is different from the two mentioned above. The Giro d'Italia in fact takes place over a total of 21 stages at the end of which the winner of the pink jersey will be decreed.
The history of the Giro is very ancient, this year will be the 105th edition. The importance of this race for the nation is great. In fact, at the end of the Second World War, in the midst of the reconstruction of the country, the Giro d'Italia served as entertainment for the Italian people who found relief in following the race, detaching themselves from the harsh reality of a country destroyed by war.
The competition takes place every year in May on a total of 21 days plus three rest days arranged one per week. Usually the first week presents arrivals for sprinters while from the second week the stages start to be difficult and the ranking begins to take shape. Usually the third week is the decisive one to decree the winner. The evocative scenery of the Dolomites and the Italian Alps is the setting for the struggle of the strongest climbers in the world who battle it out on incredible climbs such as the Stelvio Pass, the Gavia Pass, the Mortirolo or the terrible Monte Zoncolan which has slopes of 25% .
Here too the palmares are full of champions who have made the history of this sport. From the young talent Egan Bernal, to Alberto Contador, Chris Froome up to the pirate Marco Pantani. Before them we must mention the names of the great champions of the history of the 20th century: the spanish Miguel Indurain, the Italians Gianni Bugno and Francesco Moser, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon for France and many other champions such as Felice Gimondi and the cannibal Eddy Merckx . The battles of the latter two animated an entire country that cheered for the Italian, the only rider to be able to worry the Belgian rider who still holds many records in cycling.
If you want to be enchanted by the beauty of the Italian hills, you must necessarily see the Strade Bianche. A race created only 16 years ago but which has already entered the hearts of the fans for the beauty of the panorama. The race takes place in the surroundings of Siena on dirt roads that cross the green Tuscan hills.
The scenery is breathtaking and every year thousands of fans from all over the world come to the Tuscan town to admire its beauty. The Renaissance of Siena goes perfectly with this race that is increasingly sought after by runners. In fact, in the last few years, at the start from Siena, the strongest riders in the world have tried to win it. Here too the palmares are full of exceptional riders such as Wout Van Aert, Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu Van der Poel, Julian Alaphilippe, Fabian Cancellara and Philippe Gilbert.
