The final classic of the season is also the last race for two veterans: Bauke Mollema (39, Lidl-Trek) and Ion Izagirre (37, Cofidis) will bring their professional careers to a close at the Tour of Lombardy, a 239-kilometre race from Bergamo to Como. Both announced their retirement well in advance. And both have a special connection with the race. For Ion Izagirre, this dream farewell almost didn’t happen – but let’s take it one step at a time...
Mollema: The man for the big moment
Bauke Mollema won the Tour de l’Avenir, the most important race for young riders, in 2007 and turned professional with Rabobank in 2008. In 2011, he won the points classification at the Vuelta and was subsequently awarded third place in the general classification after Juan José Cobo was found guilty of doping and stripped of his victory. In 2013, he finished sixth in the Tour de France and won a stage of the Vuelta. This was followed by several years with Belkin; since 2015, he has been riding for Lidl-Trek, formerly known as Trek-Segafredo and Trek Factory Racing. A full twelve years with the same team – hardly any other professional can boast such consistency. During this time, he transformed himself from a general classification rider into an all-rounder who chased down breakaway groups and excelled in the classics. In 2016, he won the Clásica San Sebastián solo, and in 2017 and 2021 he won a Tour stage each year.
The highlight came in Lombardy in 2019. Mollema attacked 18 kilometres from the finish at Civiglio and held on to a 16-second lead over Valverde and Bernal to cross the line first. He was the first Dutch winner since Hennie Kuiper in 1981 and was fighting back tears after crossing the finish line. All in all, his record is impressive even without an overall victory in a Grand Tour: Top-10 finishes in all three Grand Tours, 23 Grand Tour starts, twelve of which were in the Tour de France. He announced his retirement with the words “One more year, one last dance”. And there could hardly be a better race to bid farewell to than the Monument he once won.
Ion Izagirre: The stage specialist from Ormaiztegi
Ion Izagirre comes from a family of cyclists and made his debut in 2011 with his brother Gorka at Team Euskaltel-Euskadi. On his Grand Tour debut, the 2012 Giro, he won a stage straight away. In 2015, he won the Tour of Poland, and in 2016 he claimed his first Tour stage victory in Morzine after launching an attack on the wet descent from the Col de Joux Plane. In 2017, whilst riding as team captain for Bahrain-Merida, he crashed during the opening time trial of the Tour de France in Düsseldorf and suffered a lumbar vertebra fracture.
In 2019, he won the Tour of the Basque Country, a home race and, in his own words, the race of his life. His victory in the Basque Country is particularly impressive when you look back at the field he was up against. Izagirre triumphed there over Emanuel Buchmann, who finished fourth in this year’s Tour de France, whilst Tadej Pogačar was also soundly beaten by the Spaniard.
A year later, he won a stage at the Vuelta, joining the select group of riders to have claimed stage victories in all three Grand Tours. In 2023, riding for Cofidis, he secured his second Tour stage victory, once again in a solo breakaway. After a difficult year in 2025, Ion Izagirre made a comeback in 2026, winning the GP Miguel Induráin for the third time and the Memorial Marco Pantani in September. It was the 20th victory of his career.
Two stories: Ion Izagirre and Bauke Mollema
Bauke Mollema will be able to bid farewell where he celebrated his greatest victory: at the Tour of Lombardy. Back in late July, he had already said goodbye to the Basque fans at the Clásica San Sebastián and spoke highly of them.
Ion Izagirre had chosen the Tour of Lombardy as his final race. On 30 September, he crashed during training and broke his left wrist. His team had already brought his season to an end. Nevertheless, he decided to compete in Italy, saying that whilst it wasn’t the ending he had envisaged, he wanted to bid farewell on his bike. He finished sixth in the Tour of Lombardy in 2018 and fourth in 2024.
Two players who single-handedly made the difference
Bauke Mollema and Ion Izagirre were never the biggest names in the peloton. However, they both secured their most significant victories with daring solo attacks. Today, two careers that have shaped the world of cycling for years come to an end in Como.
Leon Weidner
Editor