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.
Il Lombardia Results – Como to Bergamo (239KM)
- Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) – 6:01:39
- Fausto Masnada (Deceuninck – Quick-Step)
- Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) + 51 seconds
- Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma)
- Alejandro Valverde (Movistar)
- Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step)
- David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ)
- Romain Bardet (DSM)
- Michael Woods (Israel Start-Up Nation)
- Sergio Higuita (EF Education-Nippo) + 2:25
