Tadej Pogacar makes it five in a row at Lombardia to cap ‘best season’ yet
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UAE Team Emirates’s Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar celebrates his victory on the podium alongside second-placed Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel (left) and third-placed Tudor Pro Cycling Team’s Australian rider Michael Storer (right).
PHOTO: AFP
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BERGAMO – World and Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar delivered another masterclass in solo dominance on Oct 11, winning the Giro di Lombardia for a record fifth consecutive year to mark his 10th career Monuments victory and third of 2025.
The Slovenian also won the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege earlier this season, becoming the only rider after Belgian great Eddy Merckx to claim three Monuments in a year.
The UAE Team Emirates rider won the Giro di Lombardia in 2024 with a solo attack and it was a case of deja vu on the 241km course when he left his rivals in the dust with a trademark attack, beating Remco Evenepoel by 1min 48sec.
His triumph took him level on five Lombardia wins with record holder Fausto Coppi of Italy, who won the race from 1946 to 1949 and again in 1954, while Pogacar also became the first cyclist to win a Monument five times consecutively.
“To win Il Lombardia five times in a row, every time I start, it feels like this race really suits me. But at the same time, I have such a good team around me that we could pull it and I owe a big thanks to all my teammates,” Pogacar said.
“Domen (Novak) did a fantastic job, then Pavel (Sivakov) was also really impressive today and all the guys on the final climb protecting me. It was top-class work, just impressive from all my teammates.”
Having placed second in Paris-Roubaix and third at Milano-San Remo, Pogacar also became the first rider to finish on the podium of all five Monuments of the year.
Pogacar, who also retained the rainbow jersey at the cycling world championships in Rwanda’s capital Kigali in September, attacked on the final Passo di Ganda climb with nobody able to match his relentless pace for the final 37km.
Belgian Evenepoel of Soudal Quick-Step was left behind but he managed to distance Tudor Pro Cycling Team’s Australian Michael Storer, who was third more than three minutes adrift.
On the final stretch, Pogacar was already celebrating and soaking in the applause from the crowds lined up on either side, crossing the finish with his arms outstretched in triumph.
“Seven years in a row I’ve said this is my best season so far. And (again) I can say this is my best season so far,” the 27-year-old added with a smile.
“Milano-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix will be my next big goals, but I want to relax before I think about next year. I’m happy with the way I finished it off this year.”
Pogacar also revealed that he had a chat with Merckx after his victory. He became the first man since the Belgian legend in 1975 to win three of the sport’s five Monument races in the same season.
He said that after the race he spoke to the 80-year-old Merckx thanks to his former mechanic Ernesto Colnago, the founder of the eponymous bike manufacturer which has since 2017 supplied bikes to Pogacar’s team.
“Ernesto Colnago was here at the finish and Eddy was calling him. We were speaking on the phone and it’s really cool that he calls and we talk like this,” said Pogacar.
“It’s been a lot of times I’m hearing this all the time, comparing with Eddie Merckx.
“But yeah, I don’t like this kind of comparisons. Nobody likes to be compared to somebody all the time.” REUTERS, AFP
