Every year Tadej Pogačar raises the bar and sets himself new goals. But there’s one race that never misses from his calendar: Il Lombardia. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader has already won it four times in a row over the past four years, and is now aiming for a fifth triumph – a win that would put him level with the all-time record held by Italian greatest, Fausto Coppi. The streak of consecutive victories is already his, but this next milestone is the one that would make him immortal in the century-long history of the Classic of the Falling Leaves.
The Slovenian comes in flying, fresh from confirming himself as world champion in Kigali, Rwanda, in trademark style: attacking with 104 km to go and soloing for 66 km. Anyone worried about not seeing him at his best was proven wrong. After the Tour de France, Pogačar has returned loaded, motivated, and as strong as ever.
At Il Lombardia, the Slovenian has shown he can win even without being the unstoppable juggernaut we’re used to. In 2021, in Bergamo (where the race will finish again this year), he beat Fausto Masnada in a two-up sprint. The following year, in Como, he repeated the feat against Enric Mas. In 2023, he played smart rather than strong, attacking on the Passo di Ganda just before the summit, when no one expected it, and riding to a solo victory. Last year, though, he simply crushed the field, blowing apart the race on the Colma di Sormano and eventually putting 3’16” into second-placed Remco Evenepoel.
This time, the Slovenian will line up wearing his freshly renewed rainbow jersey, which he’ll sport for another 12 months – and who knows, maybe he’ll also bag the European champion’s jersey on Sunday in France (though he wouldn’t be able to wear it, since the rainbow takes precedence). Whatever happens, on Saturday, 11 October, Tadej has an appointment with history – and he’s usually right on time.
