The Tour of Lombardy is one of the toughest ‘monuments’ of the year: 239 kilometres from Bergamo to Como with around 4,600 metres of climbing. After a series of long climbs, the race is traditionally decided in the final stretch. Anyone who isn’t in peak form here has no chance of victory. For five years running, there was no getting round Tadej Pogačar in the ‘Race of the Falling Leaves’. With him absent, the Tour of Lombardy will see a new winner for the first time in a while, and the field of contenders is wider than it has been for a long time.
The hot favourite for the Tour of Lombardy
Remco Evenepoel stands to benefit the most. Over the past two years, the Belgian has had to settle for second place behind Pogačar. His current form is impressive, and he heads into the Italian Monument as the top favourite. His role as team captain at Red Bull is clear. With Florian Lipowitz, Primož Roglič and Giulio Pellizzari, he has no fewer than three key riders at his side – which presents both an opportunity and a risk. It remains to be seen how much his teammates will work for him, and the German team has already experienced internal power struggles. If the team dynamics work out, Evenepoel is virtually unbeatable – as he proved once again at the European Road Championships.
The young challengers: Seixas and Del Toro
Lurking right behind Evenepoel are the youngsters Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro. Both have the talent to break up the race on the decisive climbs and are the first names on the list of challengers. Both were already considered contenders for victory at the World Championships, but were unable to perform as well there as had been expected. Whilst the Tour of Lombardy is a few kilometres shorter, it features significantly more climbing. Alongside Isaac del Toro, Team UAE also has World Champion Brandon McNulty in its line-up. At the World Championships, nobody would have thought he’d take the win. So he too could spring a major surprise, although his chances are considerably slimmer.
The first chasing group
Giulio Ciccone is considered the main challenger to the three big favourites. At the European Road Championships, he was locked in a thrilling duel with Evenepoel right up to the finish line, with the race decided by just a few centimetres. He is in top form. British rider Tom Pidcock is also on a par with him; having won the World Championship in mountain biking, he shows no signs of a dip in form and is currently really stepping it up a gear. The third in the line-up is Davide Piganzoli, winner of the Giro dell’Emilia, in which Pidcock finished second. Should Piganzoli have an off day, Visma has a second leader in Matteo Jorgenson who can ride at the front.
The second row: McNulty and Healy
Behind these challengers to the absolute favourites is world champion Brandon McNulty. No one will underestimate him again, that’s for sure. Ben Healy of EF is on a similar level to the world champion. The Irishman already put in a strong performance at the World Championships in Montréal and could make his mark with breakaway attempts. In contrast to Healy, there is a big question mark hanging over his team-mate Richard Carapaz. He hasn’t raced since the Vuelta a España, so he’s more of an outsider. However, EF has two options depending on how the race unfolds.
The wild cards of the Tour of Lombardy
With Quinn Simmons and Juan Ayuso, Ciccone’s team is fielding two riders who are well-suited to different race scenarios: Simmons benefits from a slower pace, whilst Ayuso thrives in a fast, gruelling race. Neither is among the top favourites, although Simmons has the better chances. However, the high number of metres of climbing isn’t quite his forte, so he too will need the race to unfold in his favour.
Michael Storer, who has fond memories of the race, is also hoping for the same: last year he finished on the podium. This autumn, however, he is not in top form, so a repeat performance would be a surprise.
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Ion Izagirre, for whom this race marks his farewell from professional cycling, has recently been in much better form. Following a broken wrist, the 37-year-old He cancelled his start at short notice, but he will now be able to compete after all. He announced this decision himself on social media. The two-time Tour stage winner’s farewell is sure to be an emotional one. He proved that he can still compete at the front in one-day races with his victory at the Memorial Marco Pantani in September, against strong competition. However, it remains to be seen whether he will be in top form when he lines up at the start following his fracture.
The Outsiders
As always, there are a number of riders with only a slim chance, who will need a lot of luck with how the race unfolds: Christian Scaroni, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Oscar Onley, Enric Mas, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jarno Widar, Pello Bilbao and Lenny Martinez are the contenders here. The most interesting of these is Widar, who won the Tre Valli Varesine just a few days ago.
Ultimately, it will probably come down to whether Evenepoel makes the most of his opportunity, or whether his rivals close the gap left by Pogačar. It remains to be seen at Lake Como who will be the next name on the list of winners.
Leon Weidner
Editor