Sometimes you gotta point the car at the cliff and give ‘er some stick. Okay, maybe heading out for an awesome solo ride may not be quite the same... but sometimes heading into the unknown is best approached with a ‘give ‘er’ attitude, and as I once again learned on this awesome ride around Lago di Como, the rewards can be worthy of a lifetime.

'Goodbye from Bergamo' - seems a fitting title for the last race of the pro cycling season "proper". While riders and fans enjoy the last-day-of-school atmosphere, I was living out a wish that's been in the making for almost 10 years - to chase Il Lombardia myself.

France's Thibaut Pinot prevailed in the 112th incarnation of the Giro di Lombardia to bring down the curtain on a remarkable cycling season. The Groupama-FDJ leader held on to the wheel of Italy's Vincenzo Nibali in the terrible Muro di Sormano before dropping "the Shark of Messina" in the race's penultimate climb.

One of my favorite rides in recent memory, and possibly ever – was a loop from Bellagio, up the Madonna del Ghisallo, then the Colma di Sormano, and back along the shores of Lake Como to my base at Il Perlo Panorama.

Race Preview: The race of the falling leaves, or in Italian ‘la classica delle fog lie morte’. The Tour of Lombardy has a new course this year, but it will still have the top riders fighting it out on a tough profile. Ed Hood takes a look at the runners and riders for Sundays big end of season race.

The cycling around Lago di Como in northern Italy is among our favorites, and it’s even better when ex-pro Fabio Negri of ComoLagoBike.com leads the way, and our home base is the Albergo il Perlo Panorama.

PEZ-Man Corey Fox's recent Lombardia weekend took some unexpected turns, but the expected good times came through with great weather, a top ride with an ex-pro, and a memorable weekend of '7s' at the Hotel Il Perlo on Lake Como.

You can't fully appreciate the Race of the Falling Leaves without a closeup look at the climb to the fabled Madonna del Ghisallo church above the steep & picturesque shores of Lake Como in northern Italy. The deciding move often starts on this tough ascent, and for any fan, it's a ride you gotta do…