There were a lot of riders we tipped for a podium place in Saturday's Tour of Lombardy, but Michael Storer was still considered a long shot. However, the 28-year-old Australian from Tudor proved that on a good day, he really is one of the best climbers in the world. Even ahead of men in form, Isaac Del Toro, Tom Pidcock, and French hope Paul Seixas. Storer had won the Memorial Marco Pantani in September and finished seventh in the Giro dell'Emilia a week before Lombardy. Still, he surprised even himself on Saturday. “I felt really, really good from the start. I knew beforehand that a top ten finish was very realistic, and on a good day, who knows? It turned out to be one of those days,” he laughed at
Eurosport.
“When Pogacar left, I tried to stay with the first chasers for as long as possible. That group became smaller and smaller, and I hung on. That allowed me to finish third,” analyzed Storer, who only had to concede to the two greatest riders in the world. After Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) in 2024, it was now his turn to take the podium in the last Monument of 2025.
“It's extraordinary for me to stand next to them on the podium. I think it's the most important result of my career,” said Storer at the press conference in the press room. “I'm happy and proud to end my year this way. The team has always supported me, and it's great that I can thank them with such a great result.”
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Storer lost sight of Evenepoel on the descent in Lombardy
For a moment, it looked as if Storer might even challenge Evenepoel for second place, but the Belgian from Soudal-Quick Step chose the Passo di Ganda descent as the place to give it his all. “He took lots of risks on the descent, and the sprints after the corners really used up my legs. When I was dropped, I was actually able to descend a bit faster, but he had the gap and proved to be super strong.”
Storer didn't dwell on it for long and crossed the finish line in third place. After winning a stage in Paris-Nice, a stage and overall victory in the Tour of the Alps, and the victory in the Memorial Marco Pantani, it was yet another highlight of "a great year". Storer also finished tenth in the Giro d'Italia, just like a year earlier, and rode the Tour de France on the attack.
“I can't think of a better way to end a year like this,” Storer beamed. “I'll keep working hard and prepare myself as well as possible for the races. If things go well, that's great. And if not, that's life and sport. You have highs and lows, so I'm happy with what I'm doing.”
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Del Toro, Pidcock, and Seixas fail to live up to their roles as favorites
Storer finished third ahead of the
breakaway rider of the day, Quinn Simmons. Further behind was a group including Del Toro and Pidcock, who were battling for fifth place.
The Mexican from UAE won that sprint after Pidcock
fell in the preliminary final. Seixas finished seventh, a result that followed his third place at the European Championships, where he was expected to be in contention for a podium finish.
However, the Passo di Ganda proved too much for the 18-year-old Frenchman. “I felt that my legs were not quite as good as last week. The pace was high, and I was a bit surprised on the descent of the penultimate climb. That effort may have cost me too much. I'm a little disappointed, but seventh place is very good and a great way to finish,”
he said afterward.