Several riders at the start line of Saturday’s Il Lombardia will be doing their Hail Marys to keep them safe.
One key point of the race — both tactically and for its religiosity — is the Passo del Ghisallo and the little chapel on the hill.
That shrine today is holy ground within the world of cycling.
Every human endeavor needs its patron saint, and cycling has its own in La Madonna del Ghisallo.
Legend has it that in the 17th century the local count was being chased by thieves when he found refuge and protection after a vision of the Virgin Mary. That was enough for locals to order a shrine be built on the spot. La Madonna del Ghisallo soon became a protector of all Medieval travelers.
Fast forward to the 20th century, and by the post-war years of the 1940s, Italian cycling is booming, with Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali ruling the roads.
A local priest at the nearby village was struck by the number of cyclists and the passion the sport evoked, and began to push the Vatican to make some sort of official recognition of the burgeoning sport.
There was a call among the believers that cyclists — both racers and commuters — needed their patron saint. By 1949, Pope Pius XII ordained that La Madonna del Ghisallo would be it.
A torch was carried by cyclists, including some top pros, from the Vatican to the shrine perched on a ridge above Lake Como.
La Madonna del Ghisallo: Cycling’s patron saint
The rather simple exterior doesn’t seem to match its oversized importance within cycling or in Il Lombardia, the new name for the season’s final monument at the Giro di Lombardia.
Among one of Europe’s oldest one-day races, Il Lombardia features the Passo del Ghisallo in just about every edition.
Its summit serves up inspirational views of Lake Como, Bellagio, and some of Italy’s finest cycling roads that play host the European season closer at Il Lombardia.
The Passo del Ghisallo is both a symbol and reference point of Il Lombardia.
This year’s 240km Lombardia route packed with 4400m of climbing starts in Como and ends in Bergamo, so the 117th edition hits the climb early in the opening 40km.
Ridden from the classic Bellagio side, the climb is 10.6km at an average grade of 5.2 percent. Anyone who’s ridden it knows it zigzags and winds its way up a knife ridge. The top WorldTour pros pack the horsepower to attack over the top, while most weekend warriors prefer to ride on compact setups.
On Saturday, the WorldTour riders will approach from the south side. It’s steadier going up, and because it’s so far from the finish line, it won’t play a decisive role in the final outcome, though it could serve as a launchpad for attacking riders looking for the breakaway.
A ‘must-do’ for cycling fans
The climb is not nearly as decisive as its fame would suggest.
Yet similar to such places as Alpe d’Huez, the Stelvio, and the bergs of Flanders, the climb is a “must-do” for any avid cyclists.
Several tour groups and grand fondos organize rides and events in the region, and the chapel and a nearby cycling museum draws a steady stream of fervent fans and believers.
The interior of the shrine is a Mecca of sorts for cyclists.
Jerseys, caps, bikes, photos, including a framed shot of Marco Pantani, and other memorabilia drape the walls. The most famous is a dusty Bianchi once used by Coppi — almost a deity himself inside cycling lore — the crumpled frame of the bike that Fabio Casartelli crashed when he died in the French Pyrénées in the 1995 Tour de France. Casartelli grew up in nearby Como, and the chapel holds an annual mass in his honor.
Another wall inside the chapel is adorned with photographs of cyclists who died or were killed while practicing the sport they loved. Photographs, newspaper clippings, trophies, and other cycling lore are jam-packed into the shrine.
An eternal flame also burns in the center of the chapel as a holy reminder of cycling’s patron saint.
A modern cycling museum, called the Museo di Ciclismo, opened a decade ago, and highlights general Italian cycling history. Tickets are 6 euros.
There are plenty of links between cycling, Catholicism, and Europe’s top races.
Last year, the Vatican sent its first rider to the UCI road world cycling championships, and the Pope regularly receives the recent winner of the Giro d’Italia and other top stars.
What did Peter Sagan do when he met the Pope a few back? Gave him a brand-new Specialized bike, of course.
Though much more diverse today, many of cycling’s traditional hotbeds at Spain, Italy, and France have deep Catholic roots.
Lourdes and its holy site often plays host to the Tour de France, and is often the bane of the media corps who invariably get drawn into the hotels and late-night restaurants that serve the fervent believers and late-arriving scribes.
Rubbing shoulders with the jet-set
Where: Overlooking Lake Como in Italy’s Lake District north of Milan
Length: 8.58km
Average gradient: 6.2 percent
Maximum gradient: 14 percent
Elevation gain: 1,755 feet (532m)
Region: Located in Lombardia in northern Italy, the Ghisallo is at the top of a shark fin wedge that divides Lago di Como into two fingers. The region is laced with
narrow roads, mountainous terrain, lakeside villas (so good that George Clooney bought two), and quaint Italian villages. Nearby, Bellagio is overflowing with perfect post-ride gelato stands.
Travel: The closest major international airport is Milan’s Linate, 70km to the south (Malpensa is 85km to the southwest). The traditional route featured in the Giro di Lombardia begins in Bellagio along the glittering shores of Lake Como. Take the SP41 on the Via Valassina, which immediately begins to gain elevation. After some switchbacks, the climb veers right at the village of Guello, before looping upward to the shrine.
Lodging: Hotel Il Perlo Panorama, just above Bellagio, bills itself as a “biker’s hotel,” boasting free bike storage, a washing area, tools, GPS-plotted maps, and downloads. Free washing facilities, lake-view balconies, and an ample garden make it an ideal choice. Double rooms start at $160.
Food: If you want to rub shoulders with the jet set at Bellagio without breaking your budget, head to Il Fontana Bellagio. The small, family-owned restaurant features northern Italian dishes, such as fagioli and homemade pastas, with outdoor seating. Save room for dessert and take in some fresh gelato at Gelateria del Borgo.
— From Velo’s ‘Iconic Rides’ series