Preview Tour of Lombardy 2025 | With a historic record in sight, Pogacar looks almost unstoppable

The Tour of Lombardy has been held since 1905 and has mainly Italian winners in its rich history. In the last 15 years, however, only Vincenzo Nibali has managed to win the race as a home rider. And in recent years, it has been Pogacar, Pogacar, Pogacar, Pogacar. The Slovenian superstar was the strongest in northern Italy four times in a row, and he will be at the start again this year.

In this article:

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
2015 Vincenzo Nibali

Last year, Il Lombardia was held from Bergamo to Como, which means that this year we will be traveling the opposite route. This means that the Muro di Sormano, the grueling showpiece, is not included in the course. It also means that the iconic Madonna del Ghisallo is included very early in the course.

The mountain, where bells will ring as the peloton passes the beautiful church and cycling museum, has a summit that is reached after only 41 kilometers. It is the first climb of the day: only 60 kilometers later, as the riders head east towards Bergamo, will they tackle the Roncola (7.5 km at 7.4%).

This mountain features a challenging plateau, and not much later, the Berbenno (6.9 km at 4.9%) is ascended. We are then just over halfway through the race. The focus will be on the final. That final starts with the longest climb, the Passo della Crocetta. This climb is 11.7 kilometers long and has an average grade of 5.8%. So it's not very steep, but we won't be descending just yet. The climb to Zambla Alta (9.8 km at 3.3%) follows immediately and is quite steep at the end.

However, the Passo di Ganda will ultimately be the deciding factor. 9.2 kilometers and 7.3%: it doesn't look too threatening, but the last 3 kilometers climb at almost 10%, with sections of up to 15%. The perfect opportunity to make a difference, if the world champion hasn't already decided to start earlier...

A technical descent to Bergamo follows, but before we arrive at the finish, the Colle Aperto could make the difference if it hasn't already been made. This iconic climb, with cobblestones, is short but explosive. After that, it's a 3-kilometer descent, followed by a 600-meter straight line to the finish on Via Roma.

The weather can be unpredictable in Lombardy at the end of the cycling year, but it looks like the riders will be lucky. It will be perfect cycling weather, with temperatures ranging from 16 to 21 degrees. It will also remain dry, and the wind will not play a role.

Times
Start: 10:55 AM local time (04:55 AM EDT)
Finish: 4:45 PM local time (10:45 AM EDT)

After his performances at the World Championships and European Championships, it is clear that Tadej Pogacar will be the clear favorite. The Slovenian could win the Tour of Lombardy for the fifth time in a row. This would make him the sole record holder for consecutive victories, but it would also mean that he would equal Fausto Coppi's total number of victories.

During the World Championships and European Championships, Remco Evenepoel was the only one who could stay anywhere near the superstar. While he could use two bike changes as an excuse in Rwanda, that was not possible in France. The Belgian will be the biggest challenger, but if Pogacar is as strong as he has been in recent weeks, it will be a tough challenge.

This is also because the defending champion has a very strong team. Adam Yates recently won the Coppa Agostoni with a beautiful solo, but Jay Vine has also shown himself at the front in the Italian fall. Still, they will probably be relegated to a supporting role. Isaac Del Toro, however, will be given a freer role, given his five (!) victories in the one-day races in September and October.

Richard Carapaz has racked up the podium places in the fall, but a victory has eluded him. But if we know the aggressive Ecuadorian from EF Education - EasyPost, we know that he will make his presence felt anyway. The same goes for Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), who already finished fourth in the Giro dell'Emilia. Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) finished third there.

Staying with the young riders for a moment, Paul Seixas will be riding his first Tour of Lombardy. The 19-year-old Frenchman from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale finished third in the European Championships behind Pogacar and Evenepoel. There, he beat Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana), who hopes to shine in his own country. Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek) also performed brilliantly there with a fifth place on a challenging course, although this may be a little too much to ask.

His teammate Giulio Ciccone normally has a better chance, but the Italian fell ill after the World Championships in Rwanda and had to withdraw from the Gran Trittico Lombardo earlier this week. Later, La Gazzetta confirmed that his road season is over. We rank Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) slightly higher, given his second place in the Giro dell'Emilia.

Then there are always the sneaky outsiders, such as Ben Healy (EF Education - EasyPost), who might be able to do something interesting with a long attack. Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) and Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) can use their experience to surprise us. Visma | Lease a Bike can target Ben Tulett and Cian Uijtdebroeks.

Top favorite: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
Outsiders: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) and Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
Long shots: Ben Healy, Richard Carapaz (both EF Education - EasyPost), Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Ben Tulett, Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike), Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) and Christian Scaroni (XDS-Astana)

HBO Max and Eurosport will start early, at 10:30 AM local time, and will broadcast the entire race. VRT 1 will begin broadcasting at 1:30 PM local time.