Tadej Pogačar chases fifth successive victory at Il Lombardia

With the nights drawing shorter and leaves beginning to fall from trees with aplomb, the end of the European season is nigh for UAE Team Emirates-XRG and the WorldTour peloton. As such, all eyes are turned to the final Monument of the season, Il Lombardia, where Tadej Pogačar will go in search of a fifth straight victory on Saturday afternoon.

The reigning world and European champion will lead the Emirati squad at the final WorldTour one-day race of the season, backed up by a host of talented climbers. Between them, UAE Team Emirates-XRG will hope to make some history on the roads of Lombardy, Italy.

Last year, Pogačar equalled the great Fausto Coppi in winning four editions of Il Lombardia in a row, and this year, the Slovenian has the chance to move level with the record-setting Campionissimo on five wins at the Race of the Falling Leaves.

Should he do so, Pogačar would become the first rider in history to win five editions on the bounce. Speaking ahead of the race, the 27-year-old was full of motivation to end the season in style.

Pogačar: “Obviously, Lombardía is the final monument of the year and the last race of my season. It’s been one of my big goals in this final block of racing. The shape is there, the legs are good, the team is strong, so I’m very much looking forward to the race.

“This season has been a pretty amazing one all-round for the team. I feel lucky to be part of this special group and I hope we can keep it going for this weekend and into the future.”

In pursuit of the final big goal of his season, the world champion will be supported by an all-star cast, with the full UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad as follows for this year’s race:
– Isaac del Toro (Mex)
– Rafał Majka (Pol)
– Domen Novak (Slo)
– Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
– Pavel Sivakov (Fra)
– Jay Vine (Aus)
– Adam Yates (GB)

On his final tune-up before Il Lombardia, Pogačar won Tre Valli Varesine on Tuesday afternoon. There, the Slovenian was joined on the attack by Isaac del Toro, who will be appearing at the second Monument of his career, after having supported Pogačar at two previous editions of Milano-Sanremo.

At their side will be a host of experienced riders, headed up by Rafał Majka, who will be making the final appearance of his illustrious 15-year career.

The 36-year-old will hang up his cleats on Saturday evening as the Polish national champion, having won his second national title in June.

Spending the last five years of his career with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Majka has taken five wins in the team’s colours, but has become most invaluable as an ever-reliable teammate. With his unwavering loyalty, good humour and strength in the saddle, the three-time Tour de France stage winner will end his career as one of the most respected members of the peloton.

At Il Lombardia, Majka will be joined on the road by Domen Novak, Pavel Sivakov, Jay Vine and Adam Yates, each of whom will be on hand to support Pogačar’s title defence. Yates, of course, finished on the podium of Il Lombardia in 2021, becoming the first Brit to do so since Tom Simpson in 1965.

Between the seven riders, Sports Directors Fabio Baldato and Marco Marzano will have plenty of climbing talent to call upon from the UAE Team Emirates-XRG car, as the race makes its way from Como to Bergamo.

Across the 240.8km-long route, the peloton will be faced by 4,427m of climbing on Saturday, beginning with the hallowed Madonna del Ghisallo.

Standing at an average gradient of 3.9% for 8.8km, the first climb of the day rises up from the banks of Lake Como. At its summit is the Church of Madonna del Ghisallo, home to a trove of cycling treasures and statues of both Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi.

Although the whole route adds up to a tough day in the saddle, the real decisive moments will likely fall in the final 90km, with four categorised climbs taking the riders into the centre of Bergamo.

The Passo della Crocetta (11.7km at 5.8%) and the Zamba Alta (9.8km at 3.3%) fall back to back, before the peloton hits the Passo di Ganda (9.3km at 7.1%) with a little over 40km to go. The final 3km of this climb stand at 8.7%, which has offered Pogačar the perfect launchpad for an attack in the past.

Should the day’s top honours still be up for grabs come the final climb, the Colle Aperto (1.3km at 7.4%) will present one final battleground, before a 3km descent takes the riders to the finish line in Bergamo.

It is on the slopes of the Colle Aperto that thousands of fans will be gathered, ready to roar the riders into the Città Alta, for the conclusion of the 119th edition. Pogačar’s first Lombardia triumph came on the streets of Bergamo, winning a two-up sprint against Andrea Bagioli some four years ago.

A day after Il Lombardia, UAE Team Emirates-XRG will field squads at a pair of one-day races scheduled for Sunday, 12 October. First up, the Emirati squad will make its fifth participation at Paris-Tours and be in search of a first win in this storied race.

Once known as a Classic for the sprinters, Paris-Tours has become a rather unpredictable affair since introducing gravel vineyard tracks in 2018. Combining both tough climbs and gravel paths, the modern-day Paris-Tours is a race that should not be missed, and UAE Team Emirates-XRG will be out to race on the front foot this Sunday.

Led by Sports Director Marco Marcato, the full Emirati squad is as follows:
– Mikkel Bjerg (Den)
– Alessandro Covi (Ita)
– Rune Herregodts (Bel)
– Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor)
– António Morgado (Por)
– Luca Giaimi (Ita) (Gen Z)
– Matthias Schwarzbacher (SVK) (Gen Z)

Since gravel was introduced to the race in 2018, only one edition has finished in a regular bunch sprint, and more exciting racing should be expected on Sunday.

Beginning with 66km to ride, a combination of nine gravel sectors and nine climbs will make racing attritional in the final third of the race. In total, 9.5km of this finale will be spent on the gravel, with the Côte de Rochecorbon positioned as the last climb before the race finishes on Boulevard Béranger in Tours.

Raced concurrently with Paris-Tours on Sunday afternoon will be Valdengo-Oropa in Italy, which will take place in the region of Biella. Otherwise known as the Trofeo Tessile & Moda, this one-day event is an heir to the historic Trofeo Baracchi, which was last raced as a time trial in 1990.

Beginning afresh, however, this Sunday’s Valdengo-Oropa will enjoy its inaugural edition, and sees UAE Team Emirates-XRG bring a squad more than capable of competing for the win.

Led by Sports Directors Tomas Gil and Manuele Mori in the team car, the seven-man roster is as follows:
– Isaac del Toro (Mex)
– Pavel Sivakov (Fra)
– Pablo Torres (Spa)
– Adam Yates (GB)
– Adrià Pericas (Spa) (Gen Z)
– Mateo Pablo Ramírez (Ecu) (Gen Z)
– Enea Sambinello (Ita) (Gen Z)

A new race to the 2025 calendar, Valdengo-Oropa will be raced as a UCI 1.1 event, and is set to be hotly anticipated, having revealed its route earlier in the week. Raced across 170.2km, the parcours features 2,572m of climbing and will crown its first winner with a mountaintop finish at the Santuario di Oropa.

Once the playground of Marco Pantani, the Oropa climb was famously included on stage 2 of the 2024 Giro d’Italia, with Pogačar winning alone for UAE Team Emirates.

With Pogačar bringing his season to a close on Saturday at Il Lombardia, UAE Team Emirates-XRG will return to Oropa with Del Toro and Yates both at home on this terrain. The two climbers have each come up trumps for the Emirati squad in Italy of late, with Del Toro winning the Giro dell’Emilia last Saturday, and Yates following suit at the Coppa Agostoni a day later.

Standing at 6.1% for 11.8km, the Santuario di Oropa will no doubt play host to a memorable first edition of Valdengo-Oropa on Sunday afternoon.