Tadej Pogacar won Il Lombardia for the third consecutive time, securing the final monument of the season all by himself for the first time, after an attack downhill that no one could match. Thus, the Slovenian equals the record of Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi, the only two cyclists to win the “Classic of the Falling Leaves” three times in a row.
The long and final monument of the season was a challenging day and started exactly that way. Remco Evenepoel suffered a crash in the early kilometers. This happened just as a breakaway was forming, and several groups were being created. In the end, 16 cyclists managed to take the lead in the race.
Watch Remco Evenepoel’s crash:
At the 64-kilometer mark, another crash brought down Richard Carapaz, Matteo Jorgenson, and Mikel Landa, among others, with the latter ending his chances of contending for victory there. However, the Ecuadorian reconnected with the peloton as there were no attacks in the peloton, and everyone conserved their energy for the final climb to Passo di Ganda.
The ascent to Passo di Ganda
That’s when the action started. UAE Team Emirates entered the climb at the front, and Adam Yates attacked early. As names like Evenepoel and Mas were dropped, the group was reduced to less than a dozen riders. At 35 kilometers from the finish, a split in the group saw Pogacar and Roglic dropped, with the current champion then attacking and moving to the front group, while Roglic took a bit more time to do the same.
Yates briefly increased the pace, and Pogacar attacked 34 kilometers from the finish, accompanied by Aleksandr Vlasov. Roglic, Carlos Rodríguez, Simon Yates, and Andrea Bagioli formed the chasing group just behind. The six eventually came together at the end of the climb.
The final attack
Pogacar didn’t stop; he attacked right at the beginning of the descent. Initially, it seemed like an innocuous attack, but it proved effective. He opened up a 30-second gap on the descent, and the chasers never managed to work together properly. This allowed the Slovenian to increase his lead.
Watch the attack during the descent.
He comfortably maintained his lead on the final climb to Bergamo Alta and had all the time in the world to celebrate his victory in the city center. Andrea Bagioli (Soudal Quick-Step) finished in second place, while Primoz Roglic finished in third position.
Watch Pogacar’s arrival:
Results of Il Lombardia 2023:
