The above paragraph tells you all you need to know about Pogačar’s dominance of the race and his current supremacy in the sport. He pedals head and shoulders above all his rivals, including fellow superstar Evenepoel. His four victories also tie Alberto Binda for second-most victories in the race, behind Coppi’s five wins. If Pogačar wins next year – and there is no one who seems able to challenge him if he stays healthy – he will have his hands on both records.
He began his winning move with 48.5km left to race on the 255km course from Bergamo to Como. About halfway up the climb of the Colma di Serrano (12.9km @ 6.5%), just as the peloton caught what remained of a 21-rider breakaway, he rocketed out of the bunch and no one could react. Evenepoel and Enric Mas (Movistar) soon took up the chase, but 1km later the gap was already at 24 seconds.
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Evenepoel and Mas were eventually joined by Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dstny) as they on the pursuit, but the Belgian soon tired of doing most of the pursuing and left his fellow travelers behind. But he could not prevent Pogačar from gradually increasing his lead.
With 32km left in the race, the gap was 1:11. It grew to 1:37 at 20km and 2:24 at 10km, as Evenepoel appeared to accept defeat and finish the race at cruising speed, while Pogačar crossed the finish line with yet another historic victory on his palmares.
“Every victory is special, and today also,” he said after the race. “The team worked so hard all year for all the victories we achieved, and today is no different. It was a big day for us, long race, hard race, and it was all dependent on our team. But we did a super good job and I’m super happy to win with the team.”
A succession of UAE Team Emirates riders took turns at the front of the peloton to catch the breakaway, beginning with 97km left to race when the gap was 4:47. Here Rafal Majka and 20-year-old Jan Christen took turns reducing the arrears. They were eventually replaced by Adam Yates and Marc Hirschi, until the maestro took control of the race.
The attack on the Sorrano climb was planned, Pogačar said. “The race is so hard that … the last 40km is more or less man to man. I knew if I had a decent gap on the top I can come to the finish, but you never know.” His celebration at the end of the race was special, he added: “I was enjoying the crowds and looking forward to off-season.”
Evenepoel crossed the finish line in tears after a long but spectacularly successful season, and accepted his second place with grace. “When you finish second in such a hard but such a prestigious race there are always a lot of emotions,” he said. “Second to Tadej is still a result and confirmed what I can do and what I’ve done this season.
He said he was powerless to do anything when Pogačar broke away. “There was nothing anyone could do and I didn’t want to blow [up] trying to go with him. I paced my effort, went over the top with Mas and Van Eetvelt and then went alone on the descent. It was hard to keep the power on the pedals and it was like a long time trial, but I enjoyed the ride to the finish. That sparked my emotions beyond the line.”
And he remained optimistic that he could eventually give Pogačar a run for his money. Discussing the Slovenian’s dominance, he said, “I just have to accept that. It’s been like that all season, right? The thing now is to work hard throughout the winter and try to close the gap. If anyone has that in them, it’s me.”
He has a lot of ground to make up to reach that level in one-day races. But when it comes to the Grand Tours, the gap may be out of his reach and only a fully fit again Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike) could match Pogačar next year.
Il Lombardia kicked off on Saturday in the wake of a controversy after INEOS Grenadiers pulled Tom Pidcock out of the race without comment, despite his excellent second to Pogačar in the rainy Giro dell’Emilia a week earlier. “Just as things were on the up after a turbulent end to the year I am deselected for Lombardia tomorrow,” Pidcock said on social media. “I am in great shape and was really looking forward to it! Good luck to the boys, I guess off season starts early. Thanks for everyone’s support even in the tough times.”
Apparently the team had reacted to rumors that the world MTB cross-country champion was about to join the Q36.5 Pro team. Stay tuned. The other shoe will surely drop soon.
Il Lombardia Final Standings
- Tadej Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates 6:04:58
- Remco Evenepoel, Soudal–Quick Step + 03:16
- Giulio Ciccone, Lidl-Trek + 04:31
- Ion Izagirre, Cofidis + 04:34
- Enric Mas, Movistar “
- Pavel Sivakov, UAE Team Emirates “
- Lennert Van Eetvelt, Lotto-Dstny “
- Neilson Powless, EF Education-EasyPost + 04:58
- David Gaudu, Groupama-FDJ “
- Xandro Meurisse, Alpecin-Deceuninck