Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) has won the 116th Il Lombardia presented by Eolo, raced over a 253km route from Bergamo to Como. Enric Mas Nicolau (Movistar Team) and Mikel Landa Meana (Bahrain Victorious) finished second and third, respectively.
Speaking seconds after the race finish, the winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) said: “It’s really amazing to come back and repeat the victory. I tried to attack on Civiglio but Mas was clearly on the same level as me. I was still confident that I would beat him in the sprint. At Giro dell’Emilia, I was still suffering from the trip back from Australia, but I have felt better and better since. This victory makes it an almost perfect 2022 season for me.”
Runner-up, Enric Mas Nicolau, said: “It’s a sad day because it was the last race of Alejandro Valverde, but it’s also a happy day because I managed to arrive second behind Pogi [Tadej Pogačar] in a monument. I tried to beat him in the sprint. I tried before in the last two climbs. Step by step, we grow up. I’m really happy about that. I like one day races more and more. I like Liège-Bastogne-Liège, San Sebastian and Il Lombardia so I will try to win a Monument in the coming years.”
Third on the podium, Mikel Landa Meana, said: “Third is my place in Italy! I came third at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Giro d’Italia before this year. It makes me happy because it’s a good spot. I really love this race. I never came with the shape I wanted before today. This time I was in a very good shape. At some point I was hoping that Pogačar and Mas would watch each other and I could go away but they were stronger than me. I had the third place under control. It’s nice that two Spaniards make the podium the day Valverde quits.”
