In the Lombardy appointment with history for Tadej Pogačar

On the eve of the 119th Il Lombardia presented by Crédit Agricole, the official starters have been announced who will compete tomorrow for the last Classic Monument of the season. The route measures 241 kilometers from Como to Bergamo, with more than 4,400 meters of elevation gain and climbs that have written the history of world cycling: Madonna del Ghisallo, Roncola, Berbenno, Passo della Crocetta, Zambla Alta and Passo di Ganda, before the grand finale with the Colle Aperto tear.

After becoming world champion for the second time and, for the first time, European champion, Tadej Pogačar will be at the start of Il Lombardia presented by Crédit Agricole for the fifth time, where he boasts an unmatched record: the Slovenian has won all four editions he has participated in. A possible fifth success would allow him to equal Fausto Coppi as a multiple winner of La Classica delle Foglie Morte.

The Slovenian’s main challenger will be Remco Evenepoel, fresh off second places at the World and European Championships, as well as the same placing in the 2024 edition. The Belgian, already winner of eight races in 2025, appears to be Pogačar’s most creditable rival.

Big names at the start also include Primož Roglič, third in 2023, and Ben Healy, bronze medalist at the World Championships in Kigali. There is great anticipation for the debuts of Thomas Pidcock, who will close out a season full of satisfaction at Il Lombardia, and Isaac Del Toro, who at Thursday’s GranPiemonte touched fifteen wins for the season, who will flank Pogačar.

The list of outsiders is also long and of the highest level, which includes Egan Bernal, Paul Seixas, Richard Carapaz, Julian Alaphilippe, Bauke Mollema, Mattias Skjelmose, Jai Hindley, Oscar Onley, Romain Grégoire and, among the Italians, Andrea Bagioli, Christian Scaroni and Giulio Pellizzari.

Departure from Como in the direction of Cantù. We climb Ghisallo as the first asperity, but from the Asso side to descend on Bellagio and reach Lecco along the shore of Lake Como. Entering the province of Bergamo, the series of asperities leading to the finish begins, characterized by a continuous succession of climbs and descents with almost no flat stretches between them. First we climb Roncola (Valico di Valpiana, gradients up to 17 percent). This is followed by the climbs of Berbenno, Dossena, Zambla Alta and Passo di Ganda, which bring the total elevation gain above 4400 m. From Ganda you reach Selvino where the classic long descent begins, punctuated by 19 hairpin bends. There are then 9 km of approach to the city (the only flat ones of the entire finale) and the classic passage of the Città Alta to the finish.

Ultimate kilometers through Bergamo Alta climbing to Porta Garibaldi and then (with 200 m in cobblestones) to Largo Colle Aperto. In the first part the gradients are always above 10% (max 12%). On the descent the roadway is wide on a smooth surface. At 1800 m from arrival dry turn with short bottleneck for passing Porta Sant’Agostino. After the last kilometer wide left turn to enter the straight that leads to the finish. Final straight of 800 m, downhill in the first part and flat then.