Rainbow jersey reels in pot of gold: Pogacar miles ahead of the rest, crowns 2024 with victory in Lombardy

The main question before the race wasn’t so much who the top favorite for victory in Italy would be. Instead, the conversations centered on where Pogacar would make his move. Would it be on the Sormano? Or maybe even earlier? Many riders from the broader top tier were wary of this question beforehand. How could they ride for a good result themselves? In the opening phase, it became clear that many teams indeed had a plan.

Right from the start, the 25 flat kilometers allowed for many attacks. No one managed to break away or get a gap larger than twenty seconds, so it seemed we would have to wait for the first climbs. Due to course changes, there were four climbs in the first eighty kilometers, during which several groups managed to break away. Many teams missed the break, which led to repeated accelerations.

Wilco Kelderman was remarkably strong, representing Visma | Lease a Bike. He quickly moved to the front. Eventually, three groups formed, which were initially chased down by UAE Team Emirates, with young Jan Christen in control. When it became clear that the three groups were approaching each other, the world champion's team stopped their chase, allowing the groups to merge on the third climb of the day, the Berbenno.

The large lead group consisted of 23 riders — unusually large for a monument race. Alongside Dutchmen Kelderman and Thymen Arensman, several GC riders were at the front, including Eddie Dunbar for Jayco AlUla, Dani Martinez, a Giro podium finisher for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious). Other notable names included Matej Mohoric and Damiano Caruso (both Bahrain Victorious), Martijn Tusveld (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Tiesj Benoot (Visma | Lease a Bike).

The cooperation in the lead group was excellent, as reflected in their lead time. UAE sacrificed the tireless Christen, who almost single-handedly chased down the group. The gap increased from two to three and ultimately to four and a half minutes. With the Madonna del Ghisallo and the Sormano still ahead, this seemed like a big lead, especially considering the strength of the breakaway group. In the relatively flat middle section, not much happened. The pace was high, and both groups matched each other. Would we get a thrilling finish?

In the end, Pogacar and his team had assessed the situation well. Their math checked out. Marc Hirschi and especially Rafal Majka pushed the gas so hard on the Ghisallo that the gap quickly halved to just over two minutes. This made some guys in the breakaway nervous. Rudy Molard and Remy Rochas soon attacked on the Sormano, the last true climb of thirteen kilometers. The lead shrank to a minute, and it started to become clear in the breakaway group just how tough the race had already been. About eight riders could still continue, with Xandro Meurisse and Arensman hanging on the longest. At this stage, the pace was extremely high. In the distance, UAE’s Yates and later Pavel Sivakov started closing in.

Forty-eight kilometers from the finish, Pogacar answered the day’s question in Bergamo. The last of the breakaway riders had been caught, and with seven kilometers to the top, the rainbow jersey attacked. No one tried to follow him, and no one remained within reach. Within a kilometer and a half, the Slovenian had a lead of over thirty seconds. The best of the rest? A surprisingly strong Evenepoel, Enric Mas and Lennert Van Eetvelt. Also in the third row, Giulio Ciccone and Martinez rode a strong final phase.

Pogacar's gap quickly grew to a minute, and after the descent, it stabilized at 1:15. In the undulating phase toward the final kilometers, the Slovenian superstar even stretched his lead to nearly two minutes — over Evenepoel! The Belgian descended better than Mas and Van Eetvelt, fighting on the flat sections with grit. The differences were massive. The Spaniard and the Lotto Dstny rider were already over three minutes behind. Meanwhile, Sivakov caught up with Mas and Van Eetvelt.

Pogi didn’t let up for a moment and confidently rode toward the day’s final climb. Evenepoel secured a brilliant second place, finishing well ahead of the others. On the San Fermo, Pogacar enjoyed the cheers from the tifosi in Lombardy. In the final stretch, the gaps grew slightly, but not much else happened. Pogacar cruised to the finish line, celebrating his fourth win in Il Lombardia — a fitting crown on a remarkable year for the 26-year-old Slovenian. Evenepoel finished over three minutes behind in second place. Ciccone caught up with the exhausted Mas and Van Eetvelt, fighting his way onto the podium.