How Fast Can You Go Up the Muro di Sormano?

Here are the top 10 times of the 1.8 km climb of the Muro di Sormano during the Il Lombardia:

1. HENAO MONTOYA Sergio 9'20".071
2. RODRIGUEZ OLIVER Joaquin 9'20".309,   0'00".238 behind
3. QUINTANA ROJAS Nairo Alex 9'21".461,  0'01".390
4. NIBALI Vincenzo 9'21".854,   0'01".783
5. URAN URAN Rigoberto 9'23".444,  0'03".373
6. CONTADOR VELASCO Alberto 9'23".577,  0'03".506
7. MOLLEMA Bauke 9'24".101,   0'04".030
8. KESSIAKOFF Fredrik 9'39".053,  0'18".982
9. SANTAMBROGIO Mauro 9'41".703,  0'21".632
10.ANTON HERNANDEZ Igor 9'42".745,  0'22".674

Last was:
83. GRIVKO Andriy 12'40".132,   3'20".061



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Muro di Sormano, Video by Jered Gruber

Well known cycling photographer Jered Gruber chose the Muro di Sormano to undertake his first video:
Muro di Sormano from Jered Gruber on Vimeo.

One of Jered's photos was used for the 2012 Giro d'Italia poster:

More of Jered's photography at www.jeredgruber.com

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome.

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Recon of Muro di Sormano by Team Lampre

Video here.

The recon of tomorrow's Muro di Sormano in the Il Lombardia was done by Lampre riders Anacona, Ulissi and Niemiec (they appear L-R in the start of the video; sport director Piovani is to far left). For the recon they mounted 36x29 but will decide what to use tomorrow after the recon. This portion of the video is the Muro di Sormano part of a recon day that was 90 km and included the climbs of Eupilio, Sormano, Muro di Sormano, Ello and Villa Vergano.

The video camera is mounted on Ulissi's bike. The Muro di Sormano begins when the riders turn left off the road at 3:52 mark in the video.

Ulissi's expression at the end says it all.

Enjoy the race tomorrow! If you are in a country which is not broadcasting it go to www.cyclingfans.com to find a streaming feed.

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome.

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Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,600 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.

Il Lombarda (Giro di Lombardia) News, Part II

As we reported in Part I, the terrible climb of the Muro di Sormano is back in the route of the 106th edition of the Il Lombardia (formerly named the Giro di Lombardia), exactly 50 years after the 15.8% average, 25-27% max, climb proved so difficult that many riders were forced to get off their bikes and walk. This year the Muro di Sormano, the short but very steep climb near Lake Como, comes after 165km of racing and will be followed by the climb to Madonna del Ghisallo and the short climb to Villa Vergano, where Oliver Zaugg attacked to win the 2011 edition of Il Lombardia.

See this video of the Muro (wall):

Muro Di Sormano from brokenp87 on Vimeo.

The last time the Il Lombardia climbed the Muro di Sormano was in 1962 when Johannes de Roo of the Netherlands won the race. Fausto Coppi is the most successful Il Lombardia winner of all time, winning consecutive race in 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950.

The 2012 edition of Il Lombardia will be held on Saturday, September 29, and celebrates Felice Gimondi’s incredible career in the year of his 70th birthday with the start in Bergamo. The race will be bookended with a gala dinner in Bergamo on Friday evening which will be attended by many champions and on Sunday with the GIMONDIBIKE mtb race. Gimondi (far right in photo) said, "I am honored and excited for all that has been organized to celebrate my birthday. Il Lombardia is a great race, one of the five classic "monuments" and who wins here is a champion with a capital "C". I managed to win it twice, in 1966 and 1973. They brought me two great satisfactions and two wonderful memories I carry in my heart."

If you are in Bergamo for the weekend, or in the future, don't forget to visit the only Bianchi concept store in Italy; details previously posted here.

Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome.

Follow on Twitter: ITALIANCYCJOURN

Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page.