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Gilbert nips Sánchez to win Lombardia
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With four kilometers to go, it was obvious that an Italian wasn’t going to win Giro di Lombardia for the ninth consecutive year.
A Belgian and a Spaniard ─ Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) and Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) – were 12 seconds clear of a chasing group that included three-time winner Damiano Cunego (Lampre), enough gap to end the Italian stranglehold on the season-concluding fall classic.
With reigning world champion Cadel Evans playing the role as super-domestique in the final climb at the San Fermo de la Batalla, Gilbert shot clear and only Olympic champion Sánchez could stay close.
Riding the form that delivered him victories at Coppa Sabatini, Paris-Tours and Giro del Piemonte earlier this month, Gilbert fended off Sánchez to claim his fourth win in the past 10 days and the first “monument” of his career.
Alexandr Kolobnev (Saxo Bank), silver medalist at the Mendrisio worlds, led the chasers through at four seconds back to round out the podium.
“It’s been such an incredible week for me and it’s just amazing to win such an important race,” a happy Gilbert said at the line. “It’s been an incredible run for me the past few days. I was strong at the worlds and I wanted to take advantage of it with these final races. To win here means so much to me.”
Just as the worlds proved a monkey off the back of Evans, finally winning one of cycling’s five “monuments” at Lombardia will also take some pressure off Gilbert, who’s come close to glory a major one-day classic before.
This year alone, he was third at the Tour of Flanders and fourth at both Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
After winning a stage at the Giro d’Italia, Gilbert skipped the Tour de France and raced the Vuelta a España to prepare for Mendrisio. He was active throughout the Spanish tour, finishing second in stage 11 and sixth in the final time trial to reveal his form was peaking just in time for the worlds.
In Switzerland, it was professional teammate Evans who made the winning move to claim the rainbow jersey, with Gilbert crossing the line with a solid sixth place.
Frustrated by the close call for worlds glory, Gilbert turned that energy toward the final races of the season. He’s certainly gone out with a bang, claiming four wins in the past 10 days, including defending his win at Paris-Tours, to sweep the last major events of the 2009 season.
“After winning here, this will give me even more motivation to try to win Milan-San Remo and Liège next year,” Gilbert said. “I had good legs. Sánchez was strong on the final climb, but I was confident I could beat him in the final sprint. I am super happy.”
Evans came through with the Kolobnev group in 10th, with Daniel Martin (Garmin-Slipstream) crossing the line seventh.
Race Note
Spaniard Alberto Losada (Caisse d'Epargne), injured his right wrist in a crash. Losada suffered an apparent fracture of his Scaphoid bone, an injury that will be further analyzed upon his return to Barcelona.
Recent winners
1999: Mirko Celestino (I)
2000: Raimondas Rumsas (Ltu)
2001: Danilo Di Luca (I)
2002: Michele Bartoli (I)
2003: Michele Bartoli (I)
2004: Damiano Cunego (I)
2005: Paolo Bettini (I)
2006: Paolo Bettini (I)
2007: Damiano Cunego (I)
2008: Damiano Cunego (I)
2009: Philippe Gilbert (B)
