Second in the Giro behind Nibali, third in the Vuelta behind Quintana and Froome, winner of the Giro dell'Emilia in September, Esteban Chaves also hits the Giro della Lombardia to seal a season that launches him to the top of world cycling: a purebred climber thanks to his hummingbird physique, the Colombian – the first non-European to win the classic autumn monument right in Bergamo, the city where he stayed for a long time at the start of his career – confirms himself as a runner not only for the great stage races, but even for the one-day classics, especially if they are difficult and tough like this year's Lombardia, which had over 4500 meters in altitude to overcome, with two unprecedented climbs such as the Sant'Antonio Abbandonato and the Miragolo San Salvatore. A race that offered a great show, confirming the strength of the Colombian pedal who has racked up victories this season: with Nairo Quintana Tirreno-Adriatico and Vuelta, with Miguel Angel Lopez the Tour of Switzerland and Milan Turin, another historic triumph yesterday with Chaves.
A trio that will certainly be protagonists in the years to come: in addition to the class, there is the age that speaks in favor of Chaves and Quintana born in 1990 and Lopez in 1994. To complete the South American festival there is also the return to performances worthy of his past by Rigoberto Uran, for the third time third in Lombardy. Absent Vincenzo Nibali, last year's winner, who returned to racing only in these days after the injury in the Rio Olympic race, was Fabio Aru, the Italian rider on whom hopes were pinned for a national success. But the Sardinian once again disappointed by yielding on the penultimate climb of the Selvino. Aru's difficulties ended up holding back the action of Diego Rosa who up to that point had put himself at the service of the Sardinian, expending energies to help the Astana leader, energies that would have served the Piedmontese in the final phase when the decision was made race. In front there was a trio formed by Chaves, Uran and Romain Bardet who had managed to detach on the Selvino a squad of about twenty riders including Aru, Valverde and Gesink. Rosa, given the green light by the flagship, managed to grab the lead of the race, resisting – better than Bardet – even on the uphill cobblestones of upper Bergamo to the stretches of Chaves and Uran, but paid off the effort in the three-man sprint with Chaves who burned by a whisker, third was Uran, fourth, trailing by a handful of seconds, the French Bardet.
