Preview: Tour of Lombardy 2025 – Will Tadej Pogacar Equal Fausto Coppi’s Record?

The starting gun will sound again this year in Como, which was the finish in 2024. In other words, the route is the same as two years ago. This means that the riders will once again not climb the feared Muro di Sormano, and the finale will not be spiced up by the ascents to Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia this time.

The Madonna del Ghisallo does make its appearance this year but will show up much earlier in the race on Saturday, and is therefore no more than a warm-up for what’s to come. Normally, the riders ascend this famous climb via Bellagio, but that is not the case this year either. The Madonna del Ghisallo, once an absolute decisive test in the race, thus loses some of its luster.

After the descent of the Ghisallo, the route follows the shore of Lake Como for kilometers and then passes by Lake Garlate. When they head north again at Almenno San Bartolomeo, they almost already see Bergamo in the distance. However, the riders still make a serious detour over several challenging climbs. The first climb, to Roncola, is 9.4 kilometers long at 6.6%.

After the first kilometer at barely 3%, there is a middle section of about five kilometers at 8%, with an early peak reaching 17%. Then the road flattens out again toward the top, after which the descent begins toward the next climb. The road to Berbenno rises for about seven kilometers at just under 5% and can be seen as a not too demanding intermezzo between the Roncola climb and that to Dossena, which appears quite soon.

After the descent from the Berbenno climb, the riders follow the Brembo valley, a tributary of the Adda, upstream towards San Pellegrino Terme. Just after this town, the longest climb of the day begins with the Zambla Alta. The Colle di Zambla is, in total, 24 kilometers long and particularly irregular.

The climb actually consists of several parts. The first section to the mountain village of Dossena – the Passo della Crocetta – is eleven kilometers at a steady 6% and can be classified as a real steady climb. After leaving Dossena, there is a short descent, a rising section of over 7%, and an almost flat stretch of about five kilometers.

The last 2.5 kilometers of the Colle di Zambla are serious, the road surface climbs again at 7%, possibly offering attackers room to make a move. Once at the top of the Zambla Pass, it’s still just over 65 kilometers to the finish. However, the sting is in the tail, because after a quick descent into the Serio valley, the riders start quite soon on the toughest climb of this Tour of Lombardy.

The Passo di Ganda, at 9.2 kilometers long, is not the longest climb but has an average of 7.3%, with sections up to 15% in the final kilometers. Anyone who then wants to reach Bergamo must take the descent toward the capital of the province of the same name. Once down, the organizers could have chosen to go directly toward the finish on the Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII in Bergamo, but RCS Sport certainly does not take the easiest route.

They opt for an extra loop above the city, passing through the Città Alta, with one final climb just over five kilometers from the finish to make the difference. The Colle Aperto is a climb of 1.6 kilometers at just under 8%, with a maximum section of 12%, partly over cobblestones, making the climb extra difficult. That the race can still take a surprising turn on the Colle Aperto was demonstrated by Esteban Chaves during the 2016 edition.

The Colombian then managed, with a final acceleration, to drop Romain Bardet from his wheel. He went on to win a sprint duel against Diego Rosa and Rigoberto Urán. Back then, they did not finish on the Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII but on a parallel street. The Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII is reached after a descent of about three kilometers. Who will we see raise their arms after 238 kilometers?

Favorites

The complete start list for the Tour of Lombardy is not yet known. Therefore, the favorites section is not fully filled in. If a start list is announced in time, we will update and amend this part of the preview at a later stage.