Tadej Pogačar explained that the devastating attack which put him on track for a fourth straight ll Lombardia victory was part of a meticulous plan to get the final race won in his record-breaking season of achievement.
Resplendent in his rainbow jersey, the road World Champion took flight with 48 kilometres to go on the steep gradients of the Colma di Sormano climb and went on to win the final Monument of the year by more than three minutes.
As has often been the case this season, one stinging burst of speed from the Slovenian saw him open up a gap which none of his rivals could close.
Remco Evenepoel fought valiantly behind Pogačar as he attempted to get back on terms. But the double Olympic champion was unable to bridge the gap between himself and Pogačar and took a gutsy second place. Giulio Ciccone completed the podium after a late attack in the final kilometres.
Speaking post-race, Pogačar said that he always intended to jump towards the summit of the Sormano and thanked his UAE Emirates teammates for their part in his 25th victory of the campaign.
"We planned this because the race is so hard that in the end, the last 40 km is more or less man on man, and I knew that if I had a decent gap at the top, I could manage to come to the finish. But you never know if it will happen or not," Pogačar said of his attack.
"It was a big day for us," he added. "A long race, a hard race, and it was all dependent on our team. So I think we did a super good job and I'm super happy to win for the team."
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Pogačar’s victory meant that he equalled the great Fausto Coppi’s achievement of four straight Lombardia wins. But the Slovenian did not want to dwell too much on the historical significance of the achievement and said that he valued all of his victories in 2024 equally.
"Every victory is special, and today also, because the team worked so hard all year for all the victories that we achieved, and today is no different," he said.
Ready for the off season
(Image credit: Getty Images)
After he had attacked, Pogačar used every inch of road surface to continue to push his advantage home as he surged towards the finish in Como. Making full use of his newly painted Colnago V4RS, the Slovenian exploded into every climb and attacked every descent as the time gap to Evenepoel increased.
Pogačar explained that he had been determined to maintain both a physical and psychological advantage over the chasers as he pushed on for the win.
“There was a moment, just after the downhill, where it was really fast and was a little bit up and down,” he said. “There I tried to push to gain a few more seconds to also win the mental game on this chase so I tried to just push as hard as possible.”
With an incredible year now concluded, Pogačar said that he was now ready for a holiday before he gets set to return to action in 2025. The Slovenian soaked up the final moments of his Lombardia win as the Italian crowds roared their approval after witnessing yet another masterclass from the 26-year-old.
"I was just enjoying the crowds," he said as he finished reflecting on his final win of the year. "I’m looking forward to the off season now."
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