All three 2019 Grand Tour winners set to line up for Il Lombardia
Richard Carapaz, Egan Bernal and Primož Roglič are all set to line up for the season finale in Italy
All three 2019 Grand Tour winners are set to line-up for the final top-flight one-day race of the season, Il Lombardia.
Giro d'Italia winner Richard Carapaz is set to feature in what will be one of his final races for Movistar before he moves to Ineos for the 2020 season, where he will be a team-mate of Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, who is expected to line-up for the Italian Monument. Vuelta a España victor Primož Roglič is also set to be part of a strong Jumbo-Visma line-up.
>>> Il Lombardia 2019: Provisional start list
The final of the five Monuments to be raced this year, Il Lombardia takes place on Saturday October 12, with the 243km route starting in Burgamo and finishing in Como.
Defending champion Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) will not be taking part, after he ended his season early after abandoning the Tour de France in tears through injury just as he looked to lay claim to the yellow jersey.
However, a super strong field is expected to take the start line, with two-time winner and last year's runner-up Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) vying for a third victory before his move to Trek-Segafredo, while Deceuninck - Quick-Step look likely to bring their two Classics stars of 2019 in Julian Alaphilippe and Philippe Gilbert.
Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) will be targeting a second Monument after picking up his first at Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year, and Carapaz will line-up alongside Movistar heavyweights Mikel Landa and Alejandro Valverde.
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Like the Spanish squad, Jumbo-Visma also have strength in depth and are expected to take Steven Kruijswijk and Robert Gesink, as well as George Bennett and Vuelta a España stage winner Sepp Kuss.
Italy's hopes of a home victory will largely hinge on Nibali, although Trek-Segafredo's Giulio Ciccone could also harbour some ambitions, having showed his potential for panache when he took the king of the mountains classification and a stage at this year's Giro d'Italia.
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Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.