Tadej Pogačar‘s relentless rewriting of cycling history continued when he claimed his fifth consecutive victory in Il Lombardia, equalling the record number of wins for the event held by the legendary Fausto Coppi, while also becoming the first rider to win five editions in a row of any Monument. The Slovenian finished 1-48 clear of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) in Bergamo, with Australia’s Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) more than three minutes back in third place.
After yet another show of force by his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team, recently crowned world and European champion Pogačar attacked on the climb of the Passo di Ganda, with a little less than 37km remaining. He quickly opened up a gap on his main rivals as he bridged up to and then breezed past Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), the sole survivor from the 14-rider break that had formed soon after the start.
Cresting the Ganda, Pogačar was 1-15 clear of Evenepoel, Simmons and Storer. As ever, the UAE team leader didn’t falter on the run-in. As he crossed the line in Bergamo holding up five fingers to celebrate his success, he also became the first rider in history to finish on the podium of the five Monuments in the same season, the success taking his total wins in these great races to 10. This put him equal third in the all-time list with Costante Girardengo, behind Eddy Merckx (19 wins) and Roger De Vlaeminck (11) .
“To win five times in a row and every I’ve started, well this race is really suited to me. But at the same time I had such a good team around me to enable me to pull it off and a big thanks goes to all my teammates,” said Pogačar.
He went on to explain that the race had gone exactly how he and his team had planned. “Domen [Novak] did a fantastic job, then Pavel [Sivakov] was also really impressive today, as did all of the guys leading me out on the final climb and protecting me from behind. It was top class work, impressive stuff.”
Then came the inevitable question… “For seven years in a row I’ve said, ‘This is my best season so far.’ And once again I can say that this is my best season so far,” the world champion responded.
Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe set the pace in the peloton early on, UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Domen Novak helping out. The break pushed its lead out to three minutes approaching the third climb of the day, the Roncola, where UAE offered their first show of force.
On the flatter roads between the bottom of that climb and the foot of the Ganda, Pavel Sivakov took over the pace-making in the bunch from teammate Novak. The Frenchman cut 30 seconds from Simmons’ lead, before handing over UAE’s tempo-setting baton to Rafał Majka, making his final professional appearance.
When Majka finished his stint, Pogačar saluted his veteran teammate as he swept by on the heels of Jay Vine and Isaac Del Toro. Vine built on the work his teammates, scattering the group chasing lone leader Simmons. Very quickly, the Australian just had Evenepoel, Storer and Paul Seixas and Storer left with him in addition to Del Toro and, of course, Pogačar.
Vine’s injection of pace suggested an attack was imminent and it soon came, with just under 37km left. Pogačar accelerated, a gap opened and soon began to yawn. Evenepoel led the chase, with Storer, Seixas and Del Toro on his wheel, but the Belgian and his fellow pursuers surely knew that they were racing for second.
Simmons no doubt hoped that he might reach the top of the Ganda either with a gap on Pogačar or at least with the world champion. However, when two riders came together 3km from the summit, the writing was on the wall. The American champion, who’d been at the front for 200km already, did well to resist for a few hundred metres before Pogačar distanced him too, with 34km remaining.
Having dropped Del Toro and Seixas, Evenepoel and Storer bridged up to Simmons just before cresting the Ganda, 1-18 behind Pogačar. On the false flat behind the summit, Simmons lost contact with this pair too as Evenepoel hammered out a relentlessly fierce pace.
Soon after, Storer also contact with the Belgian, who momentarily appeared to be closing on Pogačar. This prospect was, though, a mirage. Once again, Evenepoel was the best of the rest, but Pogačar was simply peerless.
