(Photo ©slipstreamsports)
It’s been decades since two Irish men went into a classic as genuine favourites but this Saturday Nicolas Roche and Dan Martin will line up for their season-closing Tour of Lombardy as genuine contenders for victory.
Philip Deignan is also down to start for his Radioshack squad and having very nearly pulled off a stage win the Tour of Beijing last week he may also be in the hunt, though he is more suited to stage racing.
However, while both Roche and Martin are convinced they can do a big ride in Italy, Martin has decided he will not travel east to defend his Japan Cup crown later this month.
The Garmin Cervelo rider took an emphatic solo victory in the hilly Asian event last year, but his team has decided not to prolong its season until the race date on October 23rd.
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The long haul journey to Japan so late in the season, particularly when most of the teams are just back from the Tour of Beijing, has also been a factor in some of the WorldTour teams deciding not to travel this year.
Martin told stickybottle his form remained very good after the Vuelta and he believed he could well be in contention in Lombardy.
“It’s a race I was eight in two years ago so why not?” he said.
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The hilly nature of the course will suit Martin’s style and he showed his form the weekend before last with third in the Memorial Marco Pantani in Italy.
Fresh from a stage win in the Vuelta, he has traditionally gone well at this time of year and should not be too far from the reckoning on Saturday.
Deignan and Roche only finished the Tour of Beijing last Sunday and then had the journey back to Europe to contend with. It will be interesting to see of they have recovered well from that.
Martin has had the perfect preparation for Lombardy. He last weekend rode the Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli, finishing anonymously in the main bunch, clearly opting to keep his powder dry for Lombardy.
Roche (Ag2r) is enjoying fine form at present, taking a great stage win in the Tour of Beijing last Friday just ahead of Deignan.
It was interesting to see how well Roche faired once released from the straightjacket that his team leadership role seems to have become for this formerly aggressive riding.
In Beijing Jean Christophe Peraud was Ag2r’s man for GC while Roche was given a freer hand to try for a stage win. This left him able to respond to Deignan’s attack up the last climb on the third stage in Beijing, a tactic that brought him a great stage win.
The 27-year-old will undoubtedly be looking forward to Lombardy after bagging the stage win in Beijing and given that renewed confidence and his late season form, anything is possible for him this weekend.
Similarly, Deignan looked very good in Beijing, forcing the break from which Roche and he posted a rare Irish 1-2 in a major pro race. The Donegal man will be looking to end his time with Radioshack with a bang before moving to US-based Unitedhealthcare for next year.
While stage racing suits Deignan better than one-day events, the combination of his good late season form and the testing course of Lombardy look set to suit him just like Roche and Martin.
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