Sergio Higuita runner-up at Tre Valli Varesine, reveals form towards Il Lombardia: "I'm still motivated, which is important"

Sergio Higuita is a fan of the short and explosive climbs, and he will be a threat towards Il Lombardia after almost taking the win at Tre Valli Varesine yesterday, a race where the best climbers have shown their presence out front.

"I thought I'd be able to get a good result today. Although a lot of riders in the peloton are tired at the end of the season, I'm still motivated, which is important," Higuita said in a post-race interview. "And the rest of the team is also in a similar frame of mind. We didn't have any super results so far at these Italian races, so we really wanted to improve today."

After a disappointing Giro dell'Emilia, BORA - hansgrohe was in need of good signs and a better result in what is considered to be the final preparation race towards the final monument of the season. With Higuita coming in from the World Championships - and a Vuelta a Espana where he showed his best form towards the final week - he's taken up the leadership spot at the German team.

"Aleks [Vlasov] and I worked well together and he brought me to a good position in the final kilometre," he continued. The hilly race saw a medium-sized group head towards a sprint, a favourable scenario for the Colombian. However, he came centimeters short of the win.

"I had pretty good legs, and I think overall I did a good sprint. I knew I had to start my sprint from a bit further out, because in previous editions of the race, I went too late," he detailed.

"We're happy with a podium place, and I'm especially pleased to be able to share the podium with such distinguished riders," he concluded, having joined Tadej Pogacar and Alejandro Valverde in the podium of the Italian race.