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Cunego wins the Giro di Lombardia for the third time
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Damiano Cunego won the 102nd Giro di Lombardia, the season’s final one-day classic, for the third time in his career on Saturday.
Cunego – winner in 2004 and 2007 – scored the win after taking a gamble and attacking 15 kilometers from the finish at lake front of Lake Como in northern Italy.
Cunego won the famed “race of the falling leaves” ahead of a hard chasing Janez Brajkovic (Astana), who reached the line 20 seconds later.
Cunego earned the victor’s laurels at the end of the 242-kilometer race that had been largely controlled by his Lampre team.
The man from Verona, known as “the little prince” since his surprising 2004 win at the Giro d’Italia, marked the close of an up-and-down season on a high note.
Cunego won the Amstel Gold Race early in the season, but struggled through this year’s Tour de France – his major goal of the season – and withdrew has concluded and withdrew a day after a painful crash in the 18th stage.
Cunego, however, returned to form for the end of the season and finished second in last month's road race world championship behind Lampre teammate Alessandro Ballan.
Well aware that he was a targeted rider, Cunego said at the start that this year’s edition of the Giro di Lombardia might be his toughest.
"This will be much more difficult than the two times I’ve won here before,” he said. “I know that riders and teams will be watching me here.”
But Cunego attacked hard on the descent of the Civiglo, some 15km from the finish, and stayed away all the way to the finish.
The race started at a blistering pace but even so a breakaway group of 11 riders managed to eke out a lead of almost nine and a half minutes at one point. That group included Mauro Santambrogio (Lampre), Michael Rogers (Columbia), Pablo Lastras (Caisse d'Epargne), Chris Anker Sørensen (CSC Saxo Bank), Valerio Agnoli (Liquigas), Luca Paolini (Acqua Sapone-Caffè Mokambo), Francesco Bellotti (Barloworld), Enrico Gasparotto (Barloworld), Matteo Bono and Davide Viganò (Quick Step).
The group stayed together until the route neared the legendary slopes of the 11-kilometer climb to Madonna del Ghisallo. Santambrogio, Rogers, Lastras and Agnoli managed to hit the climb first as the remnants of the break were eventually pulled back on the climb and the ensuing descent. Former twice Giro champion Gilberto Simoni counter-attacked on the Madonna del Ghisallo and helped bring the main group back up to the escapees.
The four escapees, too, were pulled back before the Civiglo, a 2.6km climb, and the pace heated up as a variety of contenders took their chances on the ascent. Both the Lampre and CSC teams, however, kept tight rein on escape attempts.
Astana’s Chris Horner made an attack soon after the summit, but Cunego countered with what turned out to be the winning move.
With a chase group on his heels, Cunego took the last climb to San Fermo della Battaglia, overlooking Lake Como, with a lead of only about 12 seconds.
Cunego extended his advantage over the ensuing 5.7km, finishing the day with an average speed of 43.077kph).
By winning his third, Cunego joins an elite group of cycling greats achieving a mark reached by legendary cyclists Costante Girardengo, Gino Bartali and Sean Kelly.
In the history of the race, only two riders have earned more victories at the Giro di Lombardia. Only the legendary Campionissimi Alfredo Binda (4 victories) and Fausto Coppi (5), did better.
