Villa Vergano, Giro di Lombardia

Billed as the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’, the Giro di Lombardia is fast earning a reputation as the race of the falling rain, and 2013 was no exception. Greasy roads and a steady, prolonged spell of the wet stuff is never ideal and especially not on the narrow, twisting roads of Lombardy. Having already had to conquer the Muro di Sormano, whose gradients exceed 20 per cent in places, the riders are given little respite before the Villa Vergano appears just before the finish. A steady average gradient of little over six per cent in the first half of the climb is replaced by slopes touching 15 per cent in the latter half.

Defending champion, Joaquim Rodriguez, hit the fierce ramps towards the end of the climb first. Katusha’s diminutive Spaniard launched the attack which would seal his spot atop the world rankings for the second successive year. Thwarted in heartbreaking fashion at the World Championships on his previous venture to Italy just seven days earlier, ‘Purito’ would not be denied again. Leaning forward in the saddle, the Spaniard turned on the gas to drop his formidable opponents, and did what he does best – cresting the ferocious climb alone and soloing to his second consecutive victory in the final Classic of the season.