CyclistOpinion: Il Lombardia shouldnt be a Monument in its current formIl Lombardia, or the Race of the Falling Leaves, holds a reputation as cyclings most forgotten Monument. With the rise of Strade Bianche and other stellar one-day races in the spring, its getting harder to justify Il Lombardias status as one of cyclings hallowed five Monuments.This year, the course of the Italian Monument will change again, meaning that the past three editions of the race have followed completely different routes. This most likely wont change the winner on Saturday, which looks almost certain to be Tadej Pogaar.Looking past the races 119-year history, should it be a given that Il Lombardia is a Monument? Without a womens race, no set route and a late-season placement, is it time to rescind Il Lombardias membership to the Monument club?The odd one outTim de Waele/Getty ImagesIl Lombardia sticks out like a sore thumb in the cycling calendar. While the other four Monuments take place in March and April, Lombardia hangs about at the back of the cycling calendar in the depths of autumn. Its always been this way. The race even took on the unofficial title of the Autumn World Championships until the UCI moved that event to September.All in all, Il Lombardia feels more like the last day of school than a Monument race. The riders are tired, report cards are already written and theres a blas ambience similar to the fatigued but stress-free Friday before the summer holidays. Contracts are sealed, rankings unmoved and some stars have already called it quits on their season by the time Lombardia even rolls around.To me, it feels strange that Il Lombardia never moved to a springtime slot alongside the other Monuments. Yes, the Race of the Falling Leaves nickname would need a rethink, but moving its place in the calendar seems like a no-brainer for the race to gain more attention. A spring slot would also capitalise on the pelotons collective Classics wave of form and interest.You could argue that the late-season slot has given the Italian race a special edge over its competitors. However, when all the other Monuments are back-to-back in the spring they have everyones attention. Il Lombardia is the outcast of the Monument clique. Related Posts How to watch Il Lombardia 2024 Who are the favourites for Il Lombardia 2024? Pro race history: The legend of the first Il Lombardia in 1905 Il Lombardia 2024: Everything you need to know Parcours inconsistencyTim De Waele/Getty ImagesThe Il Lombardia route doesnt enjoy the same Monumental esteem as its spring counterparts either. Como and Bergamo alternate the hosting rights, and no two Il Lombardia routes appear to be the same. This consistency should be key to having Monument status. Part of the Monument experience is knowing what youre getting on the day.The start city alternates each year and the race length and elevation gain arent as consistent as they should be. This would never happen to the other Monuments. They have their routes under lock and key, protecting their legendary honour. Theres no star factor in Il Lombardias route. Theres no Poggio, Troue dArenberg or Oude Kwaremont. Perhaps this will come if the route designers stop being so fickle about the Monuments parcours every year. This race is supposed to be for the climbers. Well, this is an open goal to make some of these climbs hallowed in cycling, have them feature every year. No climb in Lombardia is on the same level as a Paris-Roubaix pav sector or Tour of Flanders berg. These are the profiles of the 2024, 2023 and 2022 Il Lombardias.Lets pitch some ideas out there for solving this issue. Lets help Lombardia become a real Monument.Start by fixing the start and finish location for the race. This would halt this alternating tradition the race has picked up. We want to be on first-name terms with a Monument and refer to the start and finish locations instinctively instead of having to scramble through a roadbook to make sure were getting it right.The Muro di Sormano and Madonna del Ghisallo should be yearly staples. The cobbled Colle Aperto climb should be the final challenge of the race every year. Remember those scenes from the Virage Pinot? That was there. Like the other Monuments, Il Lombardia should follow a finely crafted final 50km that remains unchanged each year. Then, we can finally see some consistency in this race.Yes, I appreciate that cyclings other Monuments have undergone slight changes. Only five years ago, Lige-Bastogne-Lige ditched the Cte de Ans finish in favour of a city centre arrival via the Cte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. Even the Tour of Flanders has received a facelift in the past 20 years with a reshuffled finish that now stands the test of time in Oudenaarde. However, Il Lombardia needs to stop being so indecisive and nail down a route for good. Related Posts How to watch Il Lombardia 2024 Who are the favourites for Il Lombardia 2024? Pro race history: The legend of the first Il Lombardia in 1905 Il Lombardia 2024: Everything you need to know Wheres the prestige? Wheres the grandeur?Tim de Waele/Getty ImagesIl Lombardia feels like the Monument with the least amount of grandeur. Theres no Flanders-Roubaix double or Ardennes Triple Crown tagged involving Il Lombardia. Its not just an afterthought for riders, its a footnote for the statisticians. Whos won the most editions of Il Lombardia? Not sure? Me neither. Who won this race back in 2015? Who finished on the podium here in 2018? Youre forgiven for not knowing. Its more of a University Challenge answer rather than cycling common knowledge.This isnt even about the race day itself, but Lombardia lacks the same cycling pizzazz and anticipation that the other Monuments boast. Paris-Roubaix is underlined in big red pen on the cycling calendar, Milan-San Remo is considered one of the most exciting finales in world cycling, while the Tour of Flanders offers some of the wildest crowds in the sport.The Giro dItalia visits Lombardy often. Not just that, the parcours has been ripped off by the Giro three times in the past seven years. Where was the buzz for this? Can I dare mention that the Strade Bianche-style Giro stages have generated more traction and excitement than a return to the Colle Aperto. What does that say about Lombardias place in the sport?We need a womens raceDario Belingheri/Getty ImagesWith the announcement of a rebooted womens Milan-San Remo, Il Lombardia is the only one of the five Monuments in mens cycling to not offer a womens equivalent. If Il Lombardia is looking to match the others, then a womens race is a necessity. It reflects pretty poorly on the mens race now given that theres no racing on offer for the women.How hard can it be? The road closures are already in place for the men. The women could therefore use a similar route earlier in the day. Similarly, the host towns should also relish the chance to host two bike races in one day. The places along the route are already prepared for a bike race, the sponsor boards are stapled up, so why choose to strike out the chance of womens equivalent?Perhaps this will come in time. The organiser RCS also runs Milan-San Remo. Perhaps with the pilot edition of the womens Classicissima in 2025 under their belt, it might consider giving Il Lombardia its own womens race too.Raining on their paradeTim de Waele/Getty Images)I dont know what Il Lombardia did to me to deserve this treatment, but I guess thats the point, it didnt do anything. It just feels like an afterthought to all of us: the riders, the media and the fans. Does it really deserve Monument status? Im hesitant to say yes. If anything, theres a strong argument to be had that Strade Bianche is more worthy of Monument status these days. History aside, it makes far more sense.Its tough to argue that Lombardias place in the pro cycling psyche hasnt slipped in the past decade. The race feels more like a victory lap for the peloton instead of a real top-level Monument. For many riders, its just a parade before they transfer to a new team, go on holiday, or even bow out of the sport altogether. Its not a race of gladiatorial clashes like we are so used to seeing in the spring Monuments.Race organisers, if youre reading, take note. Formulate a fixed route instead of spinning a wheel of fortune each year. Add a womens race under the Lombardia guise. Finally, start looking at how to carve yourself a USP. Maybe it is the autumn slot, but stay true to it being the climbers Classic. Maybe once thats all factored in, Lombardia might overtake Strade Bianche in the hierarchy. Related Posts How to watch Il Lombardia 2024 Who are the favourites for Il Lombardia 2024? Pro race history: The legend of the first Il Lombardia in 1905 Il Lombardia 2024: Everything you need to know The post Opinion: Il Lombardia shouldnt be a Monument in its current form appeared first on Cyclist.