Just two days after winning his first European champion title in France, Tadej was celebrating another victory. He was also stronger than his rivals at the 104th Tre Valli Varesine, where he claimed his second win. In 2022 he was the strongest in Varese in the sprint of a group of 20 riders, this time, as at the World Championships in Rwanda and the European Championships in France, he opted for a long-range solo attack.
He rode alone at the front for the final 22 kilometers, before that he had joined the leading group together with Isaac del Toro, a teammate from the UAE Team Emirates – XRG. This time Tadej did not attack on a climb, he began to build his advantage on the descent, and then on the flat he pressed the pedals with all his might.
He reached the finish 45 seconds ahead of the larger group, which had caught the first chasers, and in the sprint Albert Withen Philipsen (Lidl Trek) and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) secured places on the podium. »The plan was to wait for the final lap and arrive in a good place. Tudor decided to go super deep, super early, and they opened the race from far. Del Toro and me went on the attack on one of the climbs. It was a really good situation, we were in the front group, we knew that no one would work with us too much, so when I saw that I had my gap on the downhill, I pushed after the roundabouts on the flat. I knew that even if I killed myself, there is still Isaac in the back who could win the race from the group or even solo. So it was a really good situation and we made it,« said Tadej about his third consecutive win this fall. With it he fulfilled the promise he had given to the organizers of the Tre Valli Varesine race. It was interrupted last year due to dangerous weather conditions, and Tadej, who was negotiating with the organizers at the time, gave his word that he would return this year.
This was his 19. win of the year, and the UAE Team Emirates – XRG team is already at 91 victories in the record 2025 season. Tadej will try to add another one, on Saturday he has the last race of the season, Il Lombardia. »Obviously, it is a long season now, but Lombardia is this big goal and I have extra motivation to do it super good. Also, it is a Monument, it is one of the biggest one-day races in the calendar, so the legs should be good for Saturday,« Tadej added. In Bergamo he will chase a fifth consecutive victory, which would put him into the history books, he would draw level with the record holder of the race of the falling leaves, Fausto Coppi.