Bergamo: With another peerless display in the world champion’s rainbow bands, Tadej Pogacar won Il Lombardia on Saturday afternoon for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. It is another victory in a remarkable season for both Pogacar and the Emirati squad, with the Slovenian adding to his titles at the Tour of Flanders and Li¨ge-Bastogne-Li¨ge.
According to Emirates News Agency, making Il Lombardia his third win in a Monument Classic this season, Pogacar becomes only the second rider in history to win three Monuments in the same calendar year, following in the wheel tracks of Eddy Merckx. It is not the only slice of history that Pogacar takes with his latest win in Bergamo.
Between his wins in Flanders, Li¨ge, and Lombardia, his third-place finish at Milano-Sanremo in March, and his runner-up spot at Paris-Roubaix in April, the reigning two-time world champion becomes the first rider in history to finish on the podium of all five Monuments in the same season.
Making his winning attack with 34km to go on Saturday, the 27-year-old roared up the final climb into the Citt Alta, before descending into the city to take his fifth successive win at the Race of the Falling Leaves. In doing so, he draws level with the great Fausto Coppi on five wins at Il Lombardia, with the pair sitting at the top of the all-time winners’ pile.
Speaking after the finish, the world champion reflected on a season that has seen him retain his Tour de France title, win the European Championship for the first time, and bring up 100 career victories as a professional. Pogacar expressed gratitude towards his team, stating that the course is well-suited for him and acknowledging the support of his teammates.
Pogacar’s latest win takes UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s season win tally to 93, with the Emirati squad continuing to build on the previous all-time season record of 85 set by Team Columbia-HTC in 2009. Under the autumn sun of Lombardy, Pogacar’s teammate Isaac del Toro produced his own display to take fifth place across the line, with Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) finishing as the runner-up. Rafal Majka, meanwhile, brought the curtain down on his 15-year professional career.
