Skip to content
GO TO bet365 Sports
  1. Cycling

Il Lombardia: History, when, where and how to watch

The cycling season is almost at an end for another year but there is still one more race for the peloton to take in, Il Lombardia.

The Race of the Falling Leaves is the fifth and final Monument of the year and the 2024 running will be the 118th edition of the prestigious one-day classic.

Tadej Pogacar has ruled supreme in northern Italy for the last three years and the newly crowned world champion will be a hot favourite to claim his fourth win on the trot on Saturday 12th October.

The Slovenian has been nigh on untouchable in 2024 and will seek to add a seventh Monument of his career to his Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and World Championship success of what has been a stellar season.

Il Lombardia Date

Il Lombardia will take place on Saturday 12th October and is scheduled to begin at 9:40 BST.

Il Lombardia Route

Until the 1960s, Il Lombardia started and finished in Milan, the capital of the Lombardy region in northern Italy.

Milan continued to be at one end of the route until the early part of this millennium, when the riders would ride to or from the city from another town in Lombardy.

However, since 2014 the race has alternated its start and finish between Bergamo and Como, two of the most picturesque towns in the region.

The 118th edition will begin in Bergamo and takes in 252 punishing kilometres on the road to Como. The route is characterised by steep climbs including the returning Colma di Sormano, which features for the first time since 2020.

The ascent of the Sormano follows the famous climb of the Madonna del Ghisallo, a feature of the race for many years. The church atop the hill of the same name is a regular stopping point for cycling tourists and in 1949, La Madonna del Ghisallo was confirmed as the patron saint of cyclists by Pope Pius XII following a proposal from a local priest, Father Ermelindo Vigano.

Il Lombardia How to Watch

Il Lombardia is available to watch on Eurosport 1 and Discovery+ from 9:00 on Saturday 12th October.

Il Lombardia Defending Champion

Tadej Pogacar is the three-time defending Il Lombardia champion following wins in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The Slovenian, who this year won cycling's triple crown of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and World Championship road race, has finished first on each occasion he has lined up at Il Lombardia and warmed up for his attempt at a fourth straight win with a characteristically dominant success at the Giro dell'Emilia on Saturday 5th October.

Il Lombardia Most Wins

Legendary Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi holds the record for most victories in Il Lombardia, having won the Monument on five occasions (1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1954).

Coppi's former Italian national team manager Alfredo Binda is second on the all-time list with four victories (1925, 1926, 1927, 1931), while seven riders have won the Race of the Falling Leaves on three occasions.

Reigning champion Pogacar is among them and joined on three wins by Ireland's Sean Kelly, Henri Pelissier of France and four Italians; Costante Girardengo, Gaetano Belloni, Gino Bartali and Damiano Cunego.

Related Articles

bet365 uses cookies

We use cookies to deliver a better and more personalised service. For more information, see our Cookie Policy

New to bet365? Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets Join Now

Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.