So again Pogacar and again in a convincing way. His second place in the Tour has more than clearly left no mental traces. With wins in the GP Cycliste Montréal, the Tre Valli Varesine and now also Il Lombardia, he is riding a more than impressive autumn and bringing his total number of victories this season to sixteen. The peloton first gave up in the Classic of the Falling Leaves.
Alaphilippe early in trouble, UAE with six
The ten early escapees, including Elissonde, Paret-Peintre, De Marchi, Craddock and Tesfatsion, were kept in check by Movistar and Jumbo-Visma. As the final approached, Bora-hansgrohe also took the lead and the lead dropped sharply with the Madonna del Ghisallo in sight. Almost perfectly timed: at the foot of the third to last slope, the peloton – now led by Ineos – called the leading group to order. Chris Harper made a first selection for leader Vingegaard on the Madonna del Ghisallo and on the last part UAE Emirates took over with a lot of power. Pogacar came to the top with five more helpers ahead of him. In the back, Alaphilippe had to struggle to get on. Wellens also had to return to the thinned out peloton in the intermediate section.
The pace picked up again towards the last hour of the race and the front guard was again pulled to pieces before the spectacle really started with two climbs of the San Fermo della Battaglia and one of the Civiglio in between in the last 30 km. On the first of that trio, UAE still kept control, but the Civiglio quickly claimed victims. Alaphilippe could no longer keep up appearances and had to let go and also the departing Nibali and a little later also Valverde had to fit under the pace of Majka, Formolo and co.
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Never really winning chances for Vingegaard
They pushed so hard for their Slovenian leader that in the end only a handful of riders remained. When Formolo moved aside, Pogacar himself went at a time when Vingegaard was already sitting on a hole. The only one who could follow the Slovenian was Enric Mas. Landa returned briefly and in the background Higuita and Vingegaard also tried to make the connection, but they did not reach the leaders. There was no longer a first Monument to Vingegaard.
Mas then attacked himself, but Pogacar quickly took over. Landa had to go overboard again, but in the descent immediately returned to the numbers two of the Tour and the Vuelta. So they went with three to the final climb. In the background were among others Bardet, Vingegaard, Mollema and Valverde within 40 seconds.
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At the last San Fermo della Battaglia, Mas put in a splitting attack twice more. Pogacar always reacted witty and tried to get rid of the Spaniard himself, but he stuck to his wheel. Landa finally broke through those gears.
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So it ended with a sprint between Pogacar and Mas. The Spaniard turned out to be no match for the two-time Tour winner who crossed the finish line with his arms in the air and thus won his third Monument.
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Retiring Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) sprinted to a handsome sixth place. Ilan Van Wilder (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) became the first Belgian in thirteenth place. The last Belgian winner in the Tour of Lombardy remains Philippe Gilbert in 2010.
Result:
1. Tadej Pogacar (Sln/UAE) 253 km in 6h21:22 (average: 39.8 km/h)
2. Enric Mas (Eng/MOV) zt
3. Mikel Landa (Spa/BAH) 0:10.
4. Sergio Higuita (Col/BOR) 0:52.
5. Carlos Rodríguez (Spa/INE) 0:52.
6. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/MOV) 1:24.
7. Bauke Mollema (Ned/TRE) 1:24.
8. Rudy Molard (Fra/GFJ) 1:24.
9. Romain Bardet (From/DSM) 1:24.
10. Adam Yates (GBr/INE) 1:26.
11. Andrea Piccolo (Ita / EF1) 1:58.
12. Warren Barguil (From/ARK) 1:58.
13. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel/QST) 1:58.
14. Clement Berthet (Fra/AG2) 1:58.
15. Giulio Ciccone (Ita / TRE) 2:01.
16. Jonas Vingegaard (Dun/Fri) 2:03.
17. Daniel Martínez (Col/INE) 2:14.
18. Aleksander Vlasov (Rus/BOR) 2:14.
19. Mikkel Honoré (Den/QST) 2:14.
20. Mauri Vansevenant (Bel/QST) 2:14.
21. Rigoberto Urán (Col/EF1) 2:14.
22. Matteo Fabbro (Ita / BOR) 2:14.
23. Rafal Majka (Pol/UAE) 2:17.
24. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita / AST) 2:17.
25. Rémy Rochas (Fra/COF) 2:41.
