Pogacar caps amazing season with fourth Lombardy crown

World champion Tadej Pogacar has put the seal on his remarkable season by winning the Tour of Lombardy for the fourth year in a row, after another solo attack that left his rivals chasing in vain.

Pogacar, wearing the rainbow jersey on Saturday having won the world championship road race title at the end of last month, made his move with 48km remaining, after his UAE Team Emirates colleagues had reeled in an earlier breakaway group.

The Slovenian’s attack came on the Colma di Sormano climb during the 255km ride from Bergamo to Como, and despite Belgian Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel giving chase, Pogacar’s lead only increased on the descent.

“The whole race was depending on our team so it’s great to finish it off,” Pogacar said.

“My attack was planned because I knew if I had a decent gap at the top it would be a man-to-man battle in the last 40km and I could make it to the finish – but you never know.

“I pushed in the downhill to win the mental game on Remco Evenepoel.”

Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) came in second, three minutes and 16 seconds behind Pogacar, and the home crowd had something to cheer with Italy’s Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) finishing third.

The season ends as it began for Pogacar, with a win in Italy, having started the year by taking the Strade Bianche title in March, and Lombardy is his second ‘Monument’ classic victory this year after his triumph at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Pogacar won his debut Giro d’Italia in May, with a winning margin of almost 10 minutes, and he followed that up by winning his third Tour de France, becoming only the third rider to win the ‘Triple Crown’ with his triumph at the World Championships.

Only one man had previously managed four consecutive wins at Lombardy, Fausto Coppi winning from 1946 to 1949, but Pogacar is not one to rest on his laurels.

“In the finale, I was just enjoying the moment with the crowd and I was thinking of the off-season,” Pogacar said.

“After my career, we’ll see where I stand in the history of cycling.”

Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) was the leading Australian, coming home in an excellent 13th place, although he finished nearly five minutes behind Pogacar.

Jai Hindley was 24th for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.