This Tour of Lombardy announced itself as a three-way race between Evenepoel, Roglic and Pogacar, but very early on we were allowed to draw a line through that first name in pencil. Evenepoel crashed into the ground in a somewhat strange way in a gentle bend.
At that moment, under the impulse of De Gendt, about ten riders had already ridden away. Due to the confusion surrounding the crash, six more men were able to join that leading group. Jumbo-Visma controlled the peloton and kept the lead within limits. It waved up and down with the climbs of the Madonna del Ghisallo, the Roncola and the Berbenno.
Suddenly Evenepoel gave a sign of life again. He let Soudal-Quick Step pick up the pace on the way to the Passo della Crocetta. There, shadow favorite Healy decided to throw his trump cards on the table. With the support of Onley, the Irishman closed the gap with the leading group and even rode alone at the front for a while.
At the Passo di Gando, Healy’s empire was predictably over. An acceleration from Adam Yates also knocked the air out of the lungs of Evenepoel, who had to let the other big names ride humbly. What followed was a strange joust between Pogacar and Roglic. The Slovenians eyed each other suspiciously and even allowed a handful of outsiders to drive away.
Ultimately it was Pogacar who abruptly broke off the poker game and went on the attack. Just before the top of the Passo di Ganda, Roglic dragged himself into the wheel of his younger compatriot, but apparently blew up his engine. On the descent he immediately had to let go of Pogacar’s wheel, after which he took off like a rocket.
In no time Pogacar gathered a minute’s lead. There was a moment of panic in the UAE camp, but after a visit from the team car, the leader’s cramps quickly became a thing of the past. Pogacar crossed the finish line solo in Bergamo. A minute later, Bagioli threw his wheel over the line just before Roglic’s. Evenepoel, who had recovered off-screen, still finished in the top ten.
