The 120th edition could hardly be more intriguing. Remco Evenepoel arrives in Italy as the newly crowned European champion, world champion Brandon McNulty will lead UAE Team Emirates-XRG in Pogačar’s absence, while Isaac del Toro is also among the main contenders despite some minor knee problems. Behind them, the list of potential winners is broader than it has been for years.
Pogačar denied a shot at a record sixth title
Pogačar won Il Lombardia five years in a row from 2021 to 2025, drawing level with Fausto Coppi’s all-time record of five victories. The Italian also won the race five times, although not in consecutive editions. Another triumph would therefore have made Pogačar the outright record holder.
Instead, one thing is already certain: for the first time since Jakob Fuglsang’s victory in 2020, Il Lombardia will have a different winner.
The Slovenian was forced to end his season after a serious crash on stage eight of the Vuelta. He suffered, among other injuries, a broken collarbone and a stable fracture of the seventh cervical vertebra. A return for the World Championships, the European Championships on home roads and Il Lombardia was subsequently ruled out.
Evenepoel eyes first Lombardia win
Remco Evenepoel is the most prominent candidate to succeed Pogačar. The Belgian finished second in both 2024 and 2025 and has recorded three top-10 finishes from five previous appearances. Victory in the “Race of the Falling Leaves”, however, is still missing from his palmarès.
His current form was on full display in Slovenia last weekend, when he narrowly beat Giulio Ciccone in a photo finish to become European road race champion. A week earlier, he had won the time trial at the World Championships. The 26-year-old even deliberately skipped the European time trial to focus on Il Lombardia.
Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe also have another high-profile option in Primož Roglič. The 36-year-old capped his home European Championships by winning time-trial gold on Wednesday and will travel to Italy with plenty of confidence.
McNulty and Del Toro lead a powerful UAE line-up
Despite Pogačar’s absence, UAE Team Emirates-XRG will field one of the strongest squads in the race. Brandon McNulty has worn the rainbow jersey since winning the road race at the World Championships in Montréal with a 33-kilometre solo attack. He has since finished second at the Coppa Agostoni, showing that his form has held up well beyond his peak in Canada.
Alongside McNulty, UAE have another genuine contender in Isaac del Toro. The 22-year-old Mexican finished fifth at Il Lombardia last year and has enjoyed an outstanding 2026 season, including overall victories at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico as well as third place on his first Tour de France.
There is, however, a slight question mark over his knee after Del Toro reported some discomfort following his return from North America. He still looked competitive at Gran Piemonte on Thursday, attacking on the decisive climb before being caught alongside Finn Fisher-Black with just 1.5 kilometres remaining.
Other contenders include European silver medallist Giulio Ciccone, Tom Pidcock, Paul Seixas, Matteo Jorgenson and Michael Storer. Bauke Mollema will also line up, with the 2019 Il Lombardia winner choosing the race as the final event of his professional career.
4,600 metres of climbing and a demanding finale in Como
The route offers no shortage of opportunities for attacks. The 239-kilometre course from Bergamo to Como features nine classified climbs and around 4,600 metres of elevation gain. After a demanding first half, the race heads over the famous Madonna del Ghisallo before entering its decisive phase.
A 22-kilometre finishing circuit awaits in Como. San Fermo della Battaglia is tackled twice, with the particularly demanding Civiglio in between: around 4.2 kilometres at an average gradient of almost ten per cent. After the final ascent of San Fermo, only around five kilometres remain, most of them downhill, before the finish.
In recent years, Pogačar’s dominance often made it clear relatively early where the race was heading. This time there is no single rider around whom everyone else must build their tactics. The 120th edition of Il Lombardia therefore looks set to be considerably more unpredictable than those of recent seasons.
