Tadej Pogacar won Il Lombardía for the fourth consecutive year

MADRID — The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, from the UAE, put the finishing touch to his sublime season this Saturday with his fourth consecutive victory in the Il Lombardía classicequaling the mark of the legendary Fausto Coppi, after a new display of superiority in the 255 kilometers contested between the Italian towns of Bergamo and Como.

Pogacar, 26 years old, expanded his legend in a unique season in cycling in which He won 25 victories, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the world championship and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.his second monument next to that of Lombardy.

In 88 victories as a professional, the rainbow jersey He surpassed the Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick Step) by 3:16 minutesOlympic champion in Paris, and the Italian Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) at 4:31. The Spaniards Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) and Enric Mas (Movistar) were fourth and fifth, respectively, at 4:34.

The UAE leader attacked with 48 kilometers to go, at the beginning of the ascent of Colma di Sormano, one of the eight mountain passes on the demanding route of the last monument of the season, with almost 5,000 meters of accumulated elevation gain.

In just six kilometers, the world, Giro and Tour champion accumulated a lead of one minute, which he doubled with fourteen kilometers remaining, leading his pursuers to throw in the towel.

With his victory in the 118th edition of the Lombard race, the penultimate event of the UCI World Tour – the Tour of Guangxi (China) remains next week -, Pogacar equals Coppi’s record of adding four titles in a row (1946, 47, 48, 49), although the legendary Italian cyclist still leads the record with five victories, the last in 1954.

The Slovenian also reaches his seventh monument, the same as the Belgian Tom Boonen, the Italian Gino Bartali and the Swiss Fabian Cancellara, three of those conquered by Eddy Merckx, with 19.