OFFICIAL | Tadej Pogacar adds Italian classic inbetween European Championships and Il Lombardia
Cycling
For the past few months it wouldn't have been a question in the head of many, but for the organizers of Tre Valli Varesine it meant everything. Tadej Pogacar, the reigning World Champion, will be present in the Italian autumn classic after the race was cancelled last year due to bad weather. It is believed that the two are heavily connected.
The Slovenian has won this race in the past in the year 2022 and throughout most seasons he's used this as a launchpad race for Il Lombardia, which he has now been winning for several years in a row. It's a winning formula, but this year after the Canadian classics, World Championships and European Championships that will take place this Sunday, it makes for a very heavy travelling schedule. Hence racing on Tuesday, in an event that is not particularly ideal for his abilities, was not a certainty.
However he and the team have made the decision, very likely with a great deal of influence on last year's outcome. With the likes of Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Tom Pidcock at the start, it promised to be a memorable edition but the heavy rain made it impossible. At the time the start was delayed, then the course cut short a few laps, and lastly the race was stopped with 110 kilometers to go due to bad weather conditions. It was impossible to resume the race as there were no signs of improvement.
At the time Pogacar said that "we are sad for the race to not continue, but it's like this. Luckily everybody was reasonable. I could see how heavy it was for the boss of the organisation. There were tears in the eyes. This race means a lot to them, but when you can't race you can't. They understood that immediately. I'm really thankful for that." However, it had been said that Pogacar promised to return the following year to compensate for the heartbreak that had happened.
Tadej Pogacar was a vocal voice in the cancellation of the 2024 race, reportedly with the promise he would return this year. @Sirotti
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If Pogacar is to win in France this weekend, he will do his first race as a World and European championship holder. Ahead of Il Lombardia, he will also want to test his legs on Italian roads before his final big goal of the season. "Kigali was an amazing experience and obviously I’m thrilled with the result and the performance of the team. It’s an honour to wear the rainbow jersey and I’ll continue to wear it with pride," he said in a press release issued by the team.
"It’s been an amazing season for me personally and the whole UAE team, so we can say that anything that comes after this is a bonus. After the Europeans, Il Lombardia will be the last target of the season, and we decided to also do Tre Valli Varesine as a warm-up. As we all know, it was unfortunately cancelled last year so it will be nice to come back and honour the race.”
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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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
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- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
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