Giro di Lombardia wraps the season up in style, with all the stars on show

Giro di Lombardia winner Dan Martin

Tucked away at the end of the road racing calendar, the Giro di Lombardia perhaps doesn't get the attention the monument deserves.

But as the classic of the falling leaves delivered another standout winner, in Irishman Dan Martin, there's no doubt that the riders hold it in the highest esteem, despite the scheduling.

For the riders, it must be hard to target Lombardia as a race to win on their calendar. Few professionals are able to peak twice in a season, meaning the classics specialists are six months out of season.

Those who do attempt to be in late-season form are generally targeting La Vuelta a Espana or the World Championships - thus the Lombardia comes when the stars are on the way down.

But for the fans, the position on the schedule allows them to see some of the biggest stars grace the roads between Como and Bergamo as they look to finish their season in style.

Sunday's race, for example, saw Vuelta champion Alberto Contador come up against serial Grand Tour contender Alejandro Valverde, while former double winners Joaquim Rodriguez and Philippe Gilbert joined newly crowned World Champion Michal Kwiatkowski in the peloton.

The top ten reads like a who's who of grand tour and classics stars of present and future - Valverde pipping Rui Costa for second, while Sami Sanchez, Michael Albasini, Gilbert, Rodriguez and Fabio Aru were all within a second of Martin.

And if recent history has anything to do with it, Martin, the second Irishman to win the monument, can be confident of being in with a shout in next year's race as well.

Between 2002 and 2013, only six riders have won the Lombardia, with the trend being for the new champion to retain their title the following season.

Michele Bartoli (2002-03), Damiano Cunego (2007-08), Paolo Bettini (2005-06) Gilbert (2009-10) and Rodriguez (2012-13) are all double winners in the last 12 years, so all eyes will be on Martin to see if he can match their efforts and cement his place within the world's best cyclists.

Why Wiggins' win in Ponferrada is bad for cycling

Fabian Cancellara shows off his World Championship stripes at the 2011 Tour de France

WINNING cycling's World Championships is much like having an attractive girlfriend - what's the point in having the rainbow stripes if you're not going to show them off?

In Sir Bradley Wiggins, cycling has a world time trial champion of whom sightings in the rainbow stripes next season will be rarer than Wayne Rooney quoting Shakespeare.

Wiggins is no stranger to the title of world champion, having won six track titles between 2003-2008, but his win over Tony Martin in Ponferrada was his first on the road.

With the 34-year-old dedicated to making a return to the track in time for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro the future of the 2012 Tour de France winner is still up in the air.

But Wiggins is close to signing a new contract with Team Sky, for who he has ridden since their debut in 2010, although there is no doubt his' road racing schedule would be heavily reduced in coming seasons.

“We are looking at putting together a package which isn’t a traditional sort of contract,” said Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford. “It’s more built around supporting him through to Rio and giving him some options on the road with Team Sky next year.”

Wiggins has made no secret of his desires to win the historic Paris-Roubaix classic, where he finished ninth in April and make an attempt at the hour record before his career comes to a close.

With the intensive training schedule of a track cyclist, it is feasible that Wiggins has competed in his last ever stage race - taking the win in the Tour of Britain's short time trial in September.

It is also feasible, therefore, that Wiggins will not compete in a single time trial in 2015 - unable to show off the stripes he worked for so many years to win 

Without a Grand Tour under his belt in 2014, it would be a stretch to think that Wiggins will be in the kind of shape needed to complete the Giro, Tour or Vuelta next year.

Indeed 2015 will likely be the first time since 2002 that the time trial champion's rainbow stripes will not be seen in the Tour de France, although then it was because Jan Ullrich was in a spot of bother for his drug-taking tendencies.

So often in recent years have we been treated to shows of strength from the world champions in the major races - Tony Martin has barely lost a time trial in his three-year reign, and Mark Cavendish notched up six Grand Tour stage wins wearing the stripes in 2012.

Compare that to the lacklustre results of 2013 road race champion Rui Costa, who swapped Movistar for Lampre-Merida in the offseason after winning his stripes in Tuscany and was virtually invisible the whole season.

A third consecutive win at the Tour de Suisse in June was Costa's only one of the season; the Portuguese was 13 minutes behind Vincenzo Nibali when he withdrew from the Tour de France with pneumonia.

And for that reason, Costa will go down as one of the most forgettable world champions in recent memory - the same fate could ultimately lay with Wiggins if his 2015 pans out as expected.

Cycling deserves to have its biggest stars on show throughout the season; its champions showing why they are the best at their discipline, not just the best at it on one day in September.

So at the very least, Sir Wiggo, take part in some local 10-milers around Lancashire to give that new jersey of yours a little bit of exposure.