Tadej Makes It Two
Tadej Pogacor (UAE) chalks up a back-to-back win at the 2022 Il Lombardia. The Slovenian also gets a tiny bit of payback on rival Jonas Vingegaard (TJV), who beat him for the first spot at this year’s Tour de France. Vingegaard was picked as a pre-race favorite, but the day did not agree with him and he finished outside the top ten. Reliable Enric Mas (MOV) takes another high-profile second place (after his second-place at La Vuelta) and a feisty Mikel Landa (TBV) secures third place.
The 253km route started in Bergamo and finished in Como, Italy. The terrain included plenty of climbs, clustered in the first half and second half, with a 60km lull in between.
A small breakaway, which included American Lawson Craddock, formed in the first half of the race, but was caught by the time the peloton made its way up the Madonna della Ghisallo. Jumbo Visma tried to push the pace as the second series of climbs began, hoping to thin the pack on behalf of its race favorite Jonas Vingegaard. The effort didn’t reduce the numbers nearly as much as the young Dane would have liked. In fact, Jumbo Visma’s domestiques were worn down by the effort and left their top man more or less isolated at the front while chief rivals, like Tadej Pogacar, were still surrounded by teammates.
Climb: CiviglioThe UAE squad took the baton from Jumbo Visma, seizing control of the race and attempting to whittle down the peloton to a more manageable size. By the time the race leaders arrived at the base of the Civiglio, only three teams had significant numbers: UAE, Bora Hansgrohe, and QuickStep (though topman Alaphillipe struggled most of the day). And plenty of lone wolves remained in the bunch, including Jonas Vingegaard and Adam Yates.
Civiglio wreaked havoc on the front group. Vincenzo Nibali was dropped. Warren Bargueil was dropped. Alejandro Valverde was dropped. Adam Yates was dropped. As the riders struggled up the steep grades, Pogacar saw his moment and sprinted off the front. Enric Mas and Mikel Landa followed. Jonas Vingegaard failed to close the gap, and he watched the top-3 finishers float away with 18km to go
Pogacar and Mas dueled it out in the final meters, but the the latter has never been known for his kick in the sprint.
Veterans Nibali and Valverde enjoyed their last go at Il Lombardia, the fifth and final Monument of the cycling season. After storied and successful careers, their competitive spirits will be missed in the 2023 season.
As for the day’s winner Tadej Pogacar, already a multiple Grand Tour and Classics winner at 24-years old – he still has many seasons to look forward to and the cycling world can only guess how high his star will rise.
Tadej Pogacar
Critical Mass Boston rides in memory of John Corcoran.