“I’m by no means happier than once I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Expensive Readers – Our beloved colleague and pal Ed Hood suffered a critical stroke in February. We don’t count on Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed together with his future. Learn the total submit right here – and please contemplate donating.
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We’ll be posting a number of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get outdated.
Roadside Lombardia 2007: This Saturday sees the 117th Il Lombardia, one of many oldest Monuments. Ed Hood isn’t sufficiently old to recollect the primary version in 1905, however has had a romantic relationship with the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’ for a very long time. He casts his reminiscence again to his first go to to the Northern Italian race in 2007.
***Your can learn the PEZ 2023 Il Lombardia PEZ Preview HERE. ***
My first reminiscences of the Tour of Lombardia are of black and white footage within the British ‘Biking Weekly’ journal of my hero, Eddy Merckx powering up unfeasibly slender climbs with magnificent vistas throughout the lakes and mountains of Lombardy unfolded behind him, screamed on by fanatical ‘clubmen’ – that’s what we known as them again then – who had pedaled out to the perfect vantage spots.
However it took me till 2007 till I really bought myself over to the final and most lovely of the season’s Monuments.
Excuse me whereas I placed on my rose tinted specs and present you some snaps from the album.
The lakeside city of Como has lengthy been related to the race; the percorso hugs Lake Como north, dipping beneath the bridges over which the wealthy and well-known sachet to their boat homes – and little doubt Riva speedboats – from their villa.
It could simply be so tiresome, to not say vulgar to must stroll throughout the highway. . .
The countryside is fabulous; away from the lakes and mountains vineyards proliferate – an excellent place to journey your bike.
In Lombardy biking is a part of the material of life, enormous teams of cyclists head into and out of the lakeside cities on the weekend of Il Lombardia – as we now comprehend it.
However even the very roads are a part of the entire expertise; this one is known as after Gianni Motta, tremendous cool winner of the race in 1964.
However it’s not all sweetness and bikes in Lombardy, the graffiti testifies to that. Umberto Bossi was the principle man within the Lega Nord, a political celebration devoted to higher autonomy for Northern Italy.
Monetary scandal has weakened them since 2007 however many from the prosperous North really feel that they’ve little in widespread with their countrymen down within the sleepy toe and heel of the Italian ‘boot’ removed from the dual ‘energy homes’ of Milano and Torino.
Important pre-Lombardia preparation entails scanning the Gazzetta Dello Sport for the newest information on the favorites while munching a panini and sipping your cappuccino.
The one downside with getting a style for Italian cappuccino is that while you get residence issues are by no means the identical once more – as somebody mentioned the opposite day; ‘in Italy even the espresso within the fuel stations is superb!’
And for those who’re from my period, when Eddy Merckx rode for a workforce sponsored by legendary espresso machine producers, Faema, your knees go weak while you see that hallowed badge and the define of Milano’s Duomo – cappuccino by no means tasted higher.
However the race is all about mountains and lakes – of which this area has a number of the most lovely on the planet. The wooded slopes rear straight out of the blue waters – superb.
The Madonna del Ghisallo climb is now not key to victory within the race, there are too many sharp ascents following it, nowadays. However the first time you method the hallowed slopes it’s exhausting to not get goose bumps – and it’s nonetheless a tricky climb by any measure.
The views from the highest are nothing wanting beautiful, that is trying north previous the ‘cyclists monument’ over Lake Como. The climb will get its title from the Medieval Rely Ghisallo who in legend was saved from bandits right here by the Virgin showing earlier than him.
The chapel on the high has seen all of them – Coppi, Merckx, Gimondi. . .
It ‘formally’ turned the ‘cyclists shrine’ in 1949 and no Lombardia can be full if it didn’t move this hallowed spot.
There’s maybe a tad an excessive amount of tat contained in the chapel for some tastes – however it’s exhausting to not be moved by the sight of former Olympic Champion Fabio Casartelli’s mangled machine from his deadly Tour de France crash.
There’s a biking museum atop the climb and while there are some good displays in there, it’s let down by poor analysis – a motorbike match for a six footer is branded as belonging to Giuseppe Saronni, as an example.
The views in each course take your breath away and it’s straightforward to see why this is likely one of the most visited and hallowed spots within the biking firmament. However we’re right here to see a race. . .
Daniel Nardello was with LPR for this Lombardia together with his greatest days of successful Tour levels and ending within the high 10 of the Grand Boucle nicely behind him.
However as a ‘Massive’ he knew he needed to placed on a present and may’t be off the again on the Ghisallo – if the legs aren’t there then you definitely slip right into a workforce automobile on a quiet stretch or ease discretely off the percorso and take the flat roads again to Como.
If Nardello’s profession was working down then Steve Cummings hadn’t even began, in 2007 he was a Disco domestique hurting up the Ghisallo – albeit one extremely advisable by Alberto Contador; ‘I’d have him in my workforce any day!’
Two years with Barloworld adopted then spells with Sky and BMC, then he was allowed to ‘do his personal factor’ with Dimension Knowledge. A decade later, the large man from England’s Wirral Peninsula was rampant with stage wins in Tirreno, the Basque Nation, Dauphine and Tour – to not point out the GC within the Tour of Britain. Then he retired on the finish of 2019.
While the ‘Bigs’ weren’t full fuel on the climb, a number of the lesser lights had been deep into the pink and also you simply knew that they’d be taking the flattest route again to Como and a bathe off the Ghisallo.
Paolo Bettini had gained the race in 2005 and 2006 however 2007 wasn’t his yr and his face on the Ghisallo instructed its personal story and there was to be no hat trick for ‘The Cricket.’
Winner on the day was ‘Little Prince,’ Damiano Cunego, taking his second of three wins within the race – he’d additionally gained in 2004 and would achieve this once more in 2008 – albeit he wasn’t cruising up the Ghisallo.
He beat Riccardo Ricco – sure, The Cobra himself – and Sammy Sanchez. Cunego’s crown slipped a bit from these heady days, however he was nicely preferred by the Tifosi and one of many sport’s ‘good guys.’ Ricco and Sanchez have had their very own issues.
When you’re of the ‘Biking Bucket Record’ mentality then write down ‘Lombardia’ someplace close to the highest – however it’s not my fault for those who get hooked on grappa and spend the remainder of your life moaning about espresso. . .
# Keep PEZ for the 2022 Race Report, will up quickly after the race end on Saturday. #
The 2007 Giro di Lombardia
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