"It was a dream to arrive alone, I really enjoyed the last 2 kilometers" - Tadej Pogacar reflects on third Il Lombardia victory
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar has won his third consecutive victory in Il Lombardia. The Slovenian rider launched an attack on the descent 30 kilometers from the finish line that dislodged his rivals after failing to escape on the climb, to take an historic win.
Although he suffered cramps in the last kilometers, he was able to enjoy reaching the finish line alone in Bergamo to win the fifth Monument of his career. After the race he commented as follows. Pogacar attack on the Passo di Ganda together with Aleksandr Vlasov, but it was on the descent that he launched the decisive attack - then benefiting from the lack of collaboration in the small chasing group.
STRATEGY FOR VICTORY
"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".
CRAMPS NEAR THE FINISH LINE
"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.
3 CONSECUTIVE WINS
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".
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Niko6707-10-20233
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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👑 𝐄𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐘 𝐃𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈́𝐀 👑 🍂 Tadej Pogacar gana su tercera '𝐶𝑙𝑎́𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑗𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑢𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑠' consecutiva con una nueva y espléndida exhibición 🏆 Segundo Monumento de la temporada, el quinto de su carrera #ILombardia | #LaCasadelCiclismo
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