2026 Tour of Lombardy Preview | Without Pogačar, a spectacular World Championship showdown looms

The Tour of Lombardy, the fifth Monument of the year, but with a dominant rider like Pogačar, it hasn’t been the most spectacular race on the calendar in recent years. The traditional route between Como and Bergamo (and vice versa) has been the Slovenian’s domain for the last five seasons; in northern Italy, he simply excels at everything.

The roads in Lombardy are never flat, which meant he and his teammates from UAE Emirates-XRG could turn every race into a grueling battle. The final stage always features one or two really tough climbs, where Pogacar was able to make his move. And thanks to his riding skills, he almost always crossed the finish line solo.

Take a rider like that out of the picture, and the Race of the Falling Leaves could turn into a spectacle, the kind we watched on the edge of our seats right up to the finish line at the World Championships in Montreal. And the organisers have also planned a slightly less demanding final stretch… But for that, scroll down quickly to the course map!

2025 Tadej Pogacar
2024 Tadej Pogacar
2023 Tadej Pogacar
2022 Tadej Pogacar
2021 Tadej Pogacar
2020 Jakob Fuglsang
2019 Bauke Mollema
2018 Thibaut Pinot
2017 Vincenzo Nibali
2016 Esteban Chaves

For its 120th edition (yes, read that again), the Tour of Lombardy returns to the Bergamo-Como route. Over 239 kilometers, the peloton will climb a total of 4,662 meters in elevation, according to organizer RCS Sport. This makes it not only a Monument for classic riders with a strong sprint, but above all a race for true climbers. Pogacar five times in a row—so there you have it...

The organizers aren’t leaving much time on Saturday before the first climbs begin. From Bergamo, the route heads toward the Pre-Alps, passing through Colle dei Pasta, Selvino, Colle di Berbenno, and Valpiana in succession. Selvino, in particular, is a great first test: about 10.1 kilometers at an average gradient of 5.9 percent, climbing up through the famous series of hairpin turns.

After 28.5 kilometers of climbing in the first 86 kilometers, the wheat won’t yet have been separated from the chaff, but in recent years, riders with slightly less punch for the final stretch have still managed to form a strong breakaway group. After the first four climbs, there’s actually some time to catch your breath before we head uphill again after 130 kilometers.

On the profile map above, we’re halfway through the course, with the Giovenzana side of Colle Brianza still ahead. That climb—about 3.6 kilometers at a 9.2 percent gradient—is much more grueling and can already take a serious toll. However, the summit is a good 30 kilometers from the climb, which seems a more realistic spot to kick off the final stretch.

After the descent toward Lecco, the route follows a stretch along Lake Como, culminating—170 kilometers from Bellagio—in one of cycling’s most famous climbs: the Madonna del Ghisallo. The classic climb is 8.6 kilometers long with an average gradient of 6.2 percent and features sections with gradients of up to about 14 percent. At the top, of course, stands the shrine to the patron saint of cyclists.

From a racing perspective, it’s especially important to conquer the Ghisallo, which is about 60 kilometers from the finish. Anyone who’s struggling there will have to make up ground very quickly; otherwise, it’s all over. After the Ghisallo, the course descends at breakneck speed, followed by long straightaways that take the riders through Maglio toward Como, where the organizers have mapped out a particularly interesting final stretch this year.

In the final 30 kilometers, we’ll face San Fermo della Battaglia not once, but twice, with the Civiglio in between. That specific combination was last used in 2022, when Pogacar beat Enric Mas after a head-to-head battle. The San Fermo della Battaglia consists of two 2.7-kilometer sections at a 7.2 percent gradient, while the Civiglio—at 4.2 kilometers with a 9.7 percent gradient—is a crucial climb in between.

The Civiglio has often decided the outcome of the Il Lombardia final, with sections reaching up to 14 percent. Think of Vincenzo Nibali’s victories in 2015 and 2017, where the technical descent also played a key role. On the San Fermo della Battaglia, the relative standings will become clear, and if the riders are close together, this climb could even be the deciding factor.

After the final climb comes a fast descent along a wider road, with two tunnels and a few roundabouts. The descent ends in the final kilometer. At 600—six hundred—meters from the finish, there is one more wide left-hand turn, followed by a straight, seven-meter-wide approach to the finish line on Lake Como.

For now, the weather gods seem to be treating the riders quite kindly. Around Bergamo and Como, mostly dry weather is expected on Saturday, with temperatures ranging from about 16 degrees at the start to around 20 degrees in the afternoon. The wind is expected to remain light, and current models indicate a low chance of rain. For October in Lombardy, these are nearly ideal conditions.

Official start: 10:00 a.m GMT | 5:00 a.m EST
Finish: Around 4:00 p.m GMT | 11:00 a.m EST

With Pogačar—the winner of the last five editions—missing from the start list, it does, however, feature nearly all the key players from the spectacular World Championships in Canada. UAE Emirates-XRG is well on its way to a sixth consecutive victory, as it has two serious contenders for the win in Isaac del Toro and world champion Brandon McNulty. Jan Christen is, at most, a wild card should the race turn tactical.

The UAE’s biggest challenger is Paul Seixas, the star rider of Decathlon CMA CGM. After a World Championship marred by cramps, the Frenchman is eager for revenge, and this course should suit him better than the one in Montréal. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) are the other top-tier riders for a race like this, though Evenepoel’s performance can vary wildly—sometimes excellent, sometimes lackluster.

Visma | Lease a Bike is also incredibly strong, though more so across the board. Davide Piganzoli and Matteo Jorgenson were able to compete with the Pidcock-class riders, but are they also capable of keeping up with a Del Toro or Seixas? The yellow-and-black team does have an incredibly strong lineup, with Ben Tulett and Louis Barré also on the roster. However, Tulett was still sick this week, and Barré recently broke his wrist.

That way, we’ll almost run through the riders and teams, who seem capable of holding their own against riders like Seixas at his best in a head-to-head battle. In the category just below that, there are quite a few riders who can still hope—provided the absolute best on paper don’t break away from the pack and, as happened at the World Championships, don’t ride through the race bunched together.

Giulio Ciccone is a dangerous contender for Lidl-Trek, with Quinn Simmons as a backup for an early attack and Juan Ayuso, if he finally has good legs again. At Lotto-Intermarché, Jarno Widar won this week at Tre Valli Varesine, and Lennert Van Eetvelt was the top finisher at the Tour of Slovakia. Just try to shake those two off...

Oscar Onley (Netcompany INEOS), Vuelta a España winner Enric Mas (Movistar), and the Red Bull duo of Primoz Roglic and Giulio Pellizzari must be considered, based on their performances in recent weeks, to be not far behind the very best, even though Mas and Pellizzari were a major disappointment at the World Championships. In Lombardy, though, recent form often tells the story.

Just below the second tier of favorites, we find a whole host of climbers, who might start their race early in order to make it to the final stretch. Bahrain Victorious has Lenny Martinez, but can also play its cards with riders like Santiago Buitrago and Antonio Tiberi. At Alpecin-Premier Tech, Ramses Debruyne will be free to race as he pleases.

Ben Healy is the driving force behind the attack at EF Education EasyPost, and what can we expect from the Dutch contribution of Thymen Arensman ( INEOS) and Wout Poels —who crashed at the European Championships—riding for the Unibet Rose Rockets? We’re also keeping an eye on Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) and the Tudor duo of Marc Hirschi and Michael Storer (who finished third last year!).

At Uno-X Mobility, Tobias Halland Johannessen seems to be running a bit low on energy, but XDS Astana still has some horsepower left in the tank, which we wouldn’t rule out in an early attack and/or tactical finish. Christian Scaroni and Lorenzo Fortunato are the two who appear to have the best legs for a McNulty-style upset at the World Championships.

We haven't even mentioned riders like Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon), Jai Hindley (Red Bull), and Adam Yates (UAE)—who are seemingly just luxury domestiques...

Top favourites: Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)

Outsiders: Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates-XRG), Davide Piganzoli and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Dark horses: Giulio Ciccone, Quinn Simons (Lidl-Trek), Oscar Onley, Thymen Arensman (Netcompany INEOS), Christian Scaroni, Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana), Lennert Van Eetvelt, Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché), Giulio Pellizzari, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Enric Mas (Movistar), Michael Storer, Marc Hirschi (Tudor), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step) and Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious)