Pogacar, Del Toro, and a departing super domestique: These are the riders UAE Team Emirates-XRG sends to Il Lombardia

Pogacar has proven unbeatable in the Tour of Lombardy for the past four years. In 2021, he defeated Fausto Masnada in a sprint-á-deux, then did the same with Enric Mas a year later. In 2023 and 2024, he showed his class with impressive solo performances, and the last edition was particularly impressive: as the brand-new world champion, he beat Remco Evenepoel, who finished second, by 3.16 minutes.

After claiming another world title in Rwanda and the European title in France, the Slovenian seems unbeatable once again. “Obviously, Lombardía is the final monument of the year and the last race of my season,” he says on the team's website. “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.”

The Slovenian is not the only top rider at the start: Isaac Del Toro is perhaps the next top favorite alongside his team leader. The Mexican has already won five races since September. The rest of the team consists of Adam Yates, Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Domen Novak, and Rafal Majka. The Pole will ride his very last race in his rich career in the Monument.

Pogacar hopes to give his loyal domestique, who has assisted him in four of his Grand Tour victories, a fitting farewell gift. “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.”

UAE Team Emirates - XRG also announced its selections for the Trofeo Tessile & Moda and Paris-Tours. Del Toro will start again in the former Italian race, together with Sivakov and Yates. Pablo Torres, Adrià Pericas, and Mateo Pablo Ramírez will assist them. In France, the team will be represented by Mikkel Bjerg, Alessandro Covi, Rune Herregodts, Vegard Staeke Laengen, Antonio Morgado, Luca Giaimi, and Matthias Schwarzbacher.