A Giro de Lombardía without its king Pogacar seeks a successor among very illustrious candidates

The list of illustrious people participating this Saturday in the Tour of Lombardy It is very wide. The absence of him, of his undisputed king, of the absolute dominator of the last monument of the season, predicts a tremendously open race to close the series of historic classics in 2026.

‘The classic of dead leaves’ this year cannot be won by Tadej Pogacar, undisputed champion from 2021 to 2025 and ‘record holder’ of the test tied with Fausto Coppi. The Slovenian’s fall in the Vuelta deprived him of the end of the season and, after the World Cup and the European Championship, Lombardy completes the particular triptych of great events without the presence of the world number one.

In a race that the Slovenian has measured down to the millimeter, which is usually the absolute control of the UAE, this year the tables also change. Expect a high and unpredictable closing of the big races of the season and with a wide range of candidates in which, removing Pogacar, a Jonas Vingegaard little given to one-day races and to some Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert whose profile does not suit so well very hard of the Italian classic, Yes, the rest of the many stars of world cycling will be there.

This includes a Remco Evenepoel that, as in the World Cup, in which he did not win, and in the European Championship, in which he did win, he will once again focus the spotlight with the title of favorite. We will have to see if, as then, he can respond to a Brandon McNulty that it is no longer covered or if, on the contrary, Lombardy represents the total and absolute uncovering of Paul Seixas. They are the three great figures who lead a test that is by no means free of big names.

Among them will also be a Isaac del Toro which will complete a duo of guarantees from the UAE. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello) are other illustrious candidates to win.

But Spanish cycling also wants to be a major protagonist. The test is not bad at all for the brand new champion of the Vuelta Enric Mas, second in 2022, fifth in 2024 and, possibly, facing one of his best opportunities to win a ‘monument’. Juan Ayuso He also wants to compete for a prestigious victory on a day in which Lombardy will be more open than in recent years.

Of course, the candidate poster will only be awarded by the road. This brand a torture of 239 kilometers starting in Bergamo and finishing in Como and with many and varied very difficult ascents: the Gavarno ramps at the beginning, the ten kilometers of torture in Selvino until kilometer thirty, the descent to drive to Barbenno, the fifteen kilometers uphill to Valcava, the steep slopes of Giovenzana, the vertical climb to Madona del Ghisallo or the chained final of two ascents to San Fermo della Battaglia with Civiglio in between.

It is the last big event of the year, but it is one of the hardest. The throne is free and the candidates are many. However, only one of the candidates will be able to achieve this Saturday in the Giro de Lombardia one of those victories that mark a sporting career.