Tadej Pogačar Triumphs at Il Lombardia and Other Cool News from the World of Cycling

By Monica Buck

Another Monday is here, and so is our news from the world of cycling. So, what did you miss?

Tadej Pogačar joins an exclusive club

Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Fausto Coppi and now Tadej Pogačar. Those are the only riders to have won the Tour and Il Lombardia in the same season. That’s not a bad company for the young Slovenian to be in, is it? And only Eddy Merckx managed to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the same year as well.

The Slovenian went clear with 35 km still to go. It was a bold move and with Julian Alaphilippe and Primož Roglič behind him, it was also an ambitious one. However, even with the late catching up by Fausto Masnada and his unwillingness to cooperate, Tadej Pogačar did it. He won the two-up sprint for the line and took the second Monument of a spectacular season.

Adam Yates unexpectedly outsprinted Primož Roglič and took third place.

2021 Il Lombardia
Fausto Masnada, Tadej Pogacar and Adam Yates on the podium.

Il Lombardia Results – Como to Bergamo (239KM)

  1. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) – 6:01:39
  2. Fausto Masnada (Deceuninck – Quick-Step)
  3. Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) + 51 seconds
  4. Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma)
  5. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)
  6. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step)
  7. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)
  8. Romain Bardet (DSM)
  9. Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation)
  10. Sergio Higuita (EF Education-Nippo) + 2:25

One more from Paris-Roubaix

A great love story in the making

https://twitter.com/BrunetteJenner/status/1445119489721438209

That took some courage!