Tadej’s name will forever be linked with Il Lombardia, the season’s last Monument and also the last European race on the WorldTour calendar. He has started it five times and won five times, thereby rewriting the history of the race of the falling leaves. Before him, only the great Italian champion Fausto Coppi celebrated five wins there, adding a fifth in 1954 after four consecutive triumphs from 1946 to 1949.
Tadej’s uninterrupted streak has lasted since 2021, when he first won in Bergamo, where today the 119. Il Lombardia also finished. Once again, his UAE Team Emirates – XRG squad did an extraordinary job, controlling the 241-kilometer race with more than 4.600 meters of elevation gain.
Domen Novak and Pavel Sivakov distinguished themselves in the chase of the breakaway group, in which the most persistent rider was Quinn Simmons (Lidl Trek). The American began the climb to the Ganda pass two and a half minutes ahead of the group of favorites, but Tadej’s teammates made sure his advantage started to shrink. Among them was also Rafal Majka, for whom this was the last race of a rich 15-year career, in which he has helped Tadej countless times on the road to big victories.
Tadej thanked the exceptional Polish cyclist for his work, and soon after he launched the decisive attack. When he accelerated 37 kilometers from the finish, no one could follow him. Simmons at that point still had almost a minute and a half in hand, but Tadej caught him three kilometers before the summit, which he crested with a good minute of advantage over the first chasers.
Among them, once again the strongest was Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick Step), who, just like at the World Championships in Rwanda and the European Championships in France, took 2nd place behind Tadej. Michael Storer (Tudor) also made it onto the podium.
Tadej’s victory, his 10th at the Monuments, was not historic only because he matched Coppi’s record. Before this, no one had ever celebrated five consecutive wins at one of the Monuments, and Tadej also became the first rider to reach the podium at all five Monuments in a single season.
»To win five times in a row, every time I have started, it feels that this course and this race are really suited for me. Also, at the same time, I have such a good team around me that we can pull it off. Big thanks to all my teammates. Domen did a fantastic job, then Pavel was also really impressive today, then all the guys leading out on the final climb and protecting me from behind was top-class work and just impressive from my teammates,« said Tadej.
In Bergamo he ended his seventh season among the professionals, during which he has so far celebrated 108 victories. This year he has collected 20, first at the UAE Tour, then at Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour de France, the World and European Championships, Tre Valli Varesine and, to put the cherry on top, at Il Lombardia.
»I always say, seven years in a row, this is my best season so far. And again, I can say that this is the best season so far,« Tadej added.
Tomorrow he will celebrate all of this year’s achievements with his fans and supporters, who will challenge him on the climb from Klanec pri Komendi up to Krvavec.