"I tried to attack on the climb, but Vlasov was one of the strongest climbers. I know the climb very well and I didn't give up until the top, I was hoping that me and Alexander would both go to the finish, but the other rivals came from behind very well," Pogacar said in a post-race interview. "I knew from the moment I took a small lead that the descent was better than two years ago, which was a disaster for me, today I gave everything, it was hard to give everything to the finish, it was a very hard day on all the climbs".
"I suffered cramps, first in the right leg and then in the left, I thought it was over, but I kept trying, I lowered the power a bit, I tried to be as aerodynamic as possible, to save energy for the last climb. I was hoping they wouldn't cooperate with each other behind, but I wasn't going that fast." The
UAE Team Emirates managed to benefit from the lack of cohesion behind, helped by his teammate Adam Yates who also put on a very strong performance.
The first rider to win three consecutive Lombardias for over 70 years, the Slovenian continues to make the grounds through the ranks of cycling history. "To win for the third time in my second participation, the second time here in Bergamo, it was a dream to arrive alone and today was fantastic, I really enjoyed the last 2 kilometers even if it was being very painful, I really enjoyed it. To win for the third time in Lombardy is incredible".