Tadej Pogacar came into Il Lombardia as the defending champion, and will the difficult task of reconsolidating the title. The Slovenian is leading a strong UAE Team Emirates team into the race, and has shown the necessary form to fight for the win.
“I think every race I go to, there’s some pressure, and that’s not a problem. I’m looking forward to Il Lombardia. I had a few really nice moments in 2022, all the victories were all special," he told reporters this Friday. “The Tour de France stages are always special and feel like the time you win one for the first time. Montreal was a big win for sure and Strade Bianche was super great. I wasn’t on the podium at Flanders but I enjoyed the race. I hope for another great memory at Il Lombardia.”
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What will be taken on today is a long race in northern Italy with almost 5000 meters of climbing and 253 kilometers on the menu. A day which should suit Pogacar quite well, and he's coming in ambitious. “It’s perhaps not as big as it once was and that’s maybe because it's one of the last races of the season. But I like it,” he said.
“It’s a race for the pure climbers. Not as big as Flanders, Paris-Roubaix or other Monuments but it's still a pretty big thing in Italy. For me it’s a really beautiful race. Finishing the season at Il Lombardia is something beautiful for me," the 24-year old said. Following a second place at the Giro dell'Emilia and the win at Tre Valli Varesine, he's shown the legs to be among the main favourites.
“The parcours has changed but it’s about the same metres of altitude. It's a hard climbers race. Lombardy is really hard and just like a Grand Tour mountain stage, where the climbers battle for victory at the end," he added. “We’ll have to take responsibility for the race but that’s okay. I hope to have good legs, so that we can shake things up in the final."
His rivals are the two men that have beaten him this year, according to himself. Jonas Vingegaard is coming off a lengthy period off the bike, however Enric Mas has just directly beat him at the Giro dell'Emilia, and both are the names most mentioned by Pogacar.
“I think Enric and Jonas are threats because they've shown good form and can climb but it’s not only about them, I expect at least 10 riders in the final, fighting for the victory. I hope to be one of them. My race plan? To outsprint them!” he conidently said.
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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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- She deviated from her line - end of
leedorney10-11-2026 - If I was Lucinda Brand, I'd refuse to wear the jersey. Is there a rule that she "has to" wear it, as the winner? It would certainly feel like stolen valor.wrsty10-11-2026
- but don't let your socks be too long or handlebars be a cm too narrow.mij10-11-2026
- Saw a casual interview with Geraint Thomas and him a few years ago. Seems like a nice laid guy and I wish him well.GregT10-11-2026
- Ernesto Maggioni - The president of the commissaires Mafia. It is getting evident that this guy is basically "Iamalwaysrightandyouarestupidsoiwontlistentoyou" kind of guy. So fire him so that he can be always right in his homeabstractengineer10-11-2026
- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
- This is such a black eye to women's professional cyclocross if this result remains. Marie Schreiber won this race fairly. This finish is not unlike others in cyclocross. Lots of moving around to get to the finish not to cut anyone off , but to generate a sprint on soft wide tires caked with mud and sand. This is not nearly the same as a road race between two riders sprinting to the finish on faster bikes and thinner firmer tires. The powers in charge need to use some common sense, reverse this result and remember this is Cyclocross not Road racing. Unbelievable. . .Zencycle09-11-2026
- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026 - McNulty winning was beneficial in ensuring the rainbow jersey would not remain winless
Front24209-11-2026
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Ready to rock🕺 #ILombardia #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE
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