The Moment Il Lombardia Was Won

52 thoughts on “The Moment Il Lombardia Was Won”

1. Strigiform! Does that make Ciccone la civetta del Civiglio? Thanks INRNG for the coverage and the vocabulary lesson.

   • That one was a indeed a hoot.

     I’d never heard of “bunker fuel” before and am still a bit confused by it.

     • It’s the heaviest petroleum fraction (you need to heat it up for it to flow) used in giant container ships. The engines use the diesel cycle (not diesel fuel, which is much lighter) with pistons big enough to fit an ordinary car in. Dirty, nasty stuff, but the engines are thermodynamically very efficient. I think the image we’re supposed to get is one of imperceptible but inexorable acceleration and once at pace unstoppable, not that Seixas is dirty, lumbering, heavy, and can tow any number of support vehicles with ease. I hope.

       Anyway, for all the pre-race talk of an open race, it looks like “open races” are going to be a rarity for the next decade+, at least for the big races. Very impressive from the 20-year old.

2. Thanks inrng. I didn’t get to see the race but your race report is vintage newspaperism. Lovely.
   There was a time before the Shimsno museum report that I was worried but equilibrium has returned.

3. Bunker fuel is rubbish … I hope they feed him better than that!

4. … and it is good to see that MVDP doesn’t hold any grudges by returning to Australia (if not NSW) for the gravel race.

   • Mathieu van der Poel assaulted two teenage girls at a hotel.

     • He appealed the conviction and this was overturned.

       • He was still found guilty, only the sentencing changed.

         The only part overturned was having a conviction recorded (equivalent to a Felony in the USA, and which would have barred him from getting a visa to enter Australia again) with the sentence being reduced to a Conditional Release Order (i.e. commit no further offences for 12 months and the matter gets closed).

         • They knocked on his door when he was trying to sleep, and caused a commotion in the corridor outside his room. After asking them twice to stop, his patience snapped.

           Given that one of the girl’s father was with them in the hotel, and did not try to stop them , I wonder what the motive was ( apart from teenage girl hormones and silliness?

           I’ve been a teenage girl, so I’m allowed to say this!

     • Two teenage girls who had been acting as great nuisances to guests at an unsocial hour, *repeatedly*, and who did /not/ desist despite initial polite requests. And his “assault” consisted of a mild push of one and loud verbal expressions of annoyance – something they were very much deserving of (certainly the latter).

       His conviction was, rightly, overturned on appeal.

   • MVDP didn’t go to the Gravel World Championships.

     • Quite right … thought they name dropped him when I tuned in but not so.

5. I’m glad they protested.

   The deaths and serious injuries in cycling recently have been completely out of control.

   I don’t want to love any sport that loses riders at the rate we are.

   • As far as I understand we’ve gone from around 2per decade (still too many) to 11 in the ten years (in pro races) – and that can’t all down to juniors turning pro with poor bike handling skills in the pack.

     • It is also partly due to the higher speeds at which they race nowadays.

       • There was a recent report that attributed most crashes to road furniture. Though that was not the case for Tarling.

6. Great ride by Seixas but I agree the race itself didn’t reach great heights of excitement. Enjoy the off season everyone!

7. I remember watching Siexas shred the field riding at the front on a climb at the Tour of the Basque Country back in April, and wondering if he could do that against a higher class field. We got our answer yesterday.

   • didn’t we get that answer in LBL?!

     tbh I felt I got that answer last year at the Euros!

     • No, at LBL we got a glimpse.

   • It’s a similar method each time, no punchy attack or acceleration at first, just go to the front and set a pace he knows he can hold but few can, then deliver the attacks later.

8. Pellizzari was pretty impressive, pulling during 50km… I don’t know if it was a very good idea to let Remco be the sole leader. Then again, I’m not sure Pellizzari would have followed Seixas. He would have been 2nd or 3thd, so not a big difference with Remco’s 4th place. Roglic is gone, but RedBull will have their persistant problem in leadership, especially in one-day races : Remco doesn’t like to share but he’s not full-proof.

9. Please excuse my English – I am not a native speaker.

   If Remcos clear statement about the responsibility of organizers was “countered” by such a PR-statement by RCS, it makes me think whether all stakeholders do really feel the same urge to act.
   Explicitly, I would like to point out that I do think RCS is contributing to enhancing safety. For instance including the LED-screens before roundabouts and difficult corners appears to be quite helpful (of course this is done by many organizers). At the same time, I am well aware that these LED-screens do not prevent every problem, such as car drivers entering the track while the race is going on or riders getting hit by police/camera-motorcycles from within the race.

   However, there are still events such as Max Schachmann hitting an elderly ladies car in this very race in 2020 (video is easy to find on the internet), which make me ask myself whether it is really the best PR to deflect and hope that everyone has already forgot events like these (I certainly have not). In my humble non-professional opinion it could be a valid (and maybe more honest) PR option for race organizers to state that some safety gains have been already reached while acknowledging that there is generally still a long way ahead.

   Anyway, there are way too many of safety-related incidents in cycling. I am of the opinion that some, maybe even a majority of them could be avoided.

   The way Seixas just kept pushing harder and harder in the final was absolutely fascinating. And the fact that in more than 130 years of monument history there are only three riders* who were younger than him while winning their first monument is absolutely baffling to me. Very excited to see what he will be able to deliver in the future – if he stays healthy, upright and does not lose motivation.

   *For those who were not aware: According to PCS, Victor Fastre won LBL in 1909 – just a few days before his 19th birthday; Georges Ronsse won LBL in 1925 aged 19 and 102 days and Rik van Steenbergen won the Tour of Flanders in 1944, aged 19 and 206 days.

   • Good English. RCS generally do a good job for safety, helped because they’re well-resourced internally but also because they organise events that have clout and political support; it’s the smaller races that lack this were the dangers can be more apparent although all organisers can always improve. A five minute protest made a point but to make things change more, a lot more, will be needed; interesting to note that even the CPA rider union wasn’t involved yesterday.

   • According to reports elsewhere, the riders informed RCS of their intentions in advance and made it clear they would accept a statement in support, because none of the recent incidents had been in RCS-organised races. They would not have been given a microphone if there wasn’t a significant level of agreement on the matter.

     Having the statement delivered by Evenepoel was a very clear message to RCS that improvements need to be sustained, but whoever organised it erred in not having a second rider deliver the equivalent statement in Italian. A protest needs to reach the assembled fans and local media, not just the higher level audience.

     • Net result is a good step forward by the riders.

       They seem to be slowly realising that nobody in the sport can care more about their safety than they do. Take it seriously and other parties will fall in line.

       • Many thanks to you and to our great host for your replies and the additional information I did not know about. If this is true (no reason to believe it is not, it is plausible to me), it does explain the nature of the statement made by RCS.

         At least on the news homepage of our Austrian state TV (ORF) the rider protest was even mentioned in the headline alongside Pauls win [Seixas trumpft nach Fahrerprotesten auf.]. Which is quite interesting to me since (state-)media coverage about cycling is rather sparse here – at least if you disregard the annual Felix Gall-craze. At least here, Remcos message has reached the broader public (or at least those who care to read about it).

         Regarding the CPA, I just found an article by domestique cycling – I was not familiar with that website before discovering the article, so I have no idea on how good/professional they are – which cited an interview with Adam Hansen. The article appears to be a summary of a 90 minute-long podcast which was uploaded 2 days ago on YouTube. I will post a link to the article (which includes a link to the podcast) as a separate message underneath this response.
         One point that he made is that some of the recommendations made by safeR were being ignored by some race organizers (the article mentions the Renewi-Tour specifically). I should point out that the discussion appears to be more about the design of stage finishes (especially sprint arrivals). Nevertheless, all this does not explain why he was rather silent yesterday.

         Anyway, I do not want to stray too far away from this blog posts original message: Il Lombardia and Pauls impressive victory. Therefore I will leave it at that.

         • https://www.domestiquecycling.com/en/news/they-just-did-not-listen-cpa-president-adam-hansen-exposes-major-flaw-in-cyclings-safety-system/

           @INRNG: Please feel free to zap this post if you are not happy with me posting this link. It is meant as additional information to my comment above.

         • > Nevertheless, all this does not explain why he was rather silent yesterday.

           The CPA not being involved is the actual explanation, the senior riders organised this themselves over a WhatsApp group.

           It probably wasn’t as well organised as if it was coordinated by the CPA*, but my guess is that the riders wanted to make their point without compromising the CPA’s seat at the table of the SafeR Commission.

           * ironically, Luca Guercilena of RCS Sport has given comments on the lack of organisation and said he’d like to have given the riders a better platform – let’s hope he has more than words and that the first Tirreno-Adriatico under his role at RCS will see a major improvement from years past.

10. Well, the cost of signing Seixas has just gone up by a franc or two after Lombardia. The hottest signature in the peloton at the moment.
    I suppose the big question is, as he’s only 20, can he get better or is this as good as he can get?

    • Pogaçar has kept improving over the past few years from an incredibly high level so I would not be surprised if Seixas did the same.

      • Pogacar wasn’t training/eating very professionally when he was 20, and hence he had more room for improvement. Many riders now are very professional as teenagers and have less room for growth.

    • He’s improved so much compared to a year ago, and during the season that even a small gain now will deliver a lot. There could still be some physical gains but also he is learning how to race at the top level, it’s here more can come. He’s long just been able to attack, find himself solo and ride away for the win. He did just this yesterday but it requires a lot more effort, planning, team work and patience to pull it off.

    • Seixas really appears to be the heir apparent to Pogi. If he is able to improve a bit, I would expect him to be the first rider to challenge Pogi on his ground, especially since Del Toro is Pog’s teammate.

    • I think the progression will not be the same. Pogacar at 20 just won surprinsingly the Tour de l’Avenir and was in a small Slovenian conti team… He was still not living as a pro with a professional entourage (training, nutrition, etc). So Seixas will improve slowly I think, mainly in tactics (because when he can’t get everyone out of his wheel he doesn’t know what to do), but the progression won’t be as impressive as Pogacar between his 20 and his 25 (and happily so, because all races would be very boring then). He is much stronger than Pogacar at the same age. His profile is closer to Remco (but Remco’s second year was the Covid year, and then his infamous crash in Lombardia), but with better climbing I guess.

      • This is true but… we also don’t know?

        It’s a pretty unique circumstance – we’ve only seen around five riders doing this uber-youth-to-pro trajectory in recent times and the training/eating/living regime has completely changed so there’s an argument to say Seixas may have fewer gains to make but there’s also a fair argument to say he hasn’t finished developing physically.

        Both are slightly unknown – and not just because everyone’s different – but also because we do not know the effect of the current training regime on youth with the kind of outrageous talent these riders have.

        I wouldn’t be surprised to see Seixas develop wildly or likewise develop less than Pogacar? We sort of just don’t know until we know?

        • I think you make a very good point about improvements when a rider is young comes about from both improved training and physical development.

          As you say, we don’t know how Seixas will physically develop. For instance, he is quite tall for a GC-rider. It is possible he will fill-out a bit and climbing will become more difficult for him, but he will become much better in the classics. (But who knows, l am just hoping to enjoy finding out in the next few years.)

          • I was amazed at how powerful he looked on the climb he dropped everyone on. For such a young man!

11. I might be the lone voice here, and I do wish Pogacar a full recovery and swift return to racing, but it’s been a real pleasure to watch top races without him and those 60-80-100 km solo attacks.

    • You are not alone! I don’t want anyone to miss time due to injury, but I think the racing has been more interesting. I expect him to return to dominant form next year, but the end of this season has offered some intriguing narratives for 2027, such as the resurgence of Mas at an extremely high level.

      • This is true but I actually think the two are connected.

        The Worlds are often decent races but there have been boring Worlds alongside other boring races with or without Pogacar.

        These Worlds were particularly brilliant and it was hard to not feel that many riders wanted to take their chances in Pog’s absence in a way that might not have been the case in the pre-Pog era – as the more sensible tactic for many riders would’ve been to wait till the final ascents/hang on similar to Alaphillippes second worlds triumph in Switzerland or Kwiatowski’s win in Spain – leaving us with a more boring race than the one we saw with a little action late on.

        So I think there’s a fair argument to say this race was so good because of Pog still.

        Although it’s hard to say, as MVDP is a wild racer similar to Pog himself so would’ve likely torn it up early as he did – plus the Montreal circuit is a banging course that delivers year after year. I wish these races were more prominent on the calendar.

        As for Lombardia – I thought we essentially just saw mini-Pog do an early-era Pogcination? I love Lombardia so enjoyed the race but it didn’t seem that different to a Pog victory? Just a different name who were all likely to have these exact same discussions about one day!

        There’s no doubt Pog not competing has an effect and gives us some great races but for me the two are one and the same.

        But, I say this as a fan of Pog.
        I like any riders who animate the races – I love Ben Healey, MVDP, even the much loathed Quinn Simmons as they all go all in and it’s a joy to watch.

        Pog has flattened some races but as I’ve said here before, he’s also given us many all timer moments along the way, so I find the balance is okay, especially as we just got these Worlds via his enforced absence.

        This is without doubt the greatest era of cycling I’ve been lucky enough to witness – I basically thank my lucky stars multiple times a year that I’m still around to see.

        • A nice balanced comment. I think I agree with everything you say here. I too believe that Pogacar affects the way they race even when he is not there.

    • It’s been more interesting that there have been three different winners (McNulty, Evenepoel, and Seixas) in the last three major races of the season which Pogi was expected to sweep.

    • I tend to love Lombardia but I preferred some of Pogi’s to this edition. Which wasn’t bad but not that sort of experience which made me feel that Pogi-less cycling is better. The Worlds of course belong to the latter category, maybe the Euro Champs, too, but this? It was Pogi-like enough albeit a bit less flamboyant and with a sense of totally wrong strategy by Red Bull.
      It’s of course exciting to watch Seixas become Seixas, but pretty much as watching Pogi being Pogi. I’ll acknowledge that novelty always helps, anyway.

12. I can’t understand why athletes, whose step forward I appreciate all the same, don’t *also* call for more focus on general road safety, as a significant number of accidents and even casualties among competitive cyclists occur while training on open roads.

    Accidents during races are happening partly because of the “social contraction” of cycling. Less minor races where all staff including police can rehearse for bigger, faster, more complicated events. Less of a shared feeling of respect or common acknowledgement of relevance towards cycling as such. So the paradox is that in cycling hotspots you can have literally thousands of people lining up on the first climb of Lombardia, more than 200 kms away from the line, waiting to applaude the pros after having ridden up there pedalling themselves, while at the same time another part of the population is raging against the race and that sort of cycling public because they supposedly block the traffic. Which is why the random angry driver feels entitled to force road closures, among other things.

    • I think protest is quite a complex thing – all protest movements seem to argue over their messaging early on and it’s fairly easy to understand why – you can so easily waterdown or overcomplicated your reasons for protest that it gets lost in the noise, so I think even if you disagree you should cut them some slack because it’s very hard to make a united stand.

      I’m sure all the cyclists had the discussions or at least thoughts you outline.

      But protesting for ‘all cycling safety’ is a pretty nebulous message and directed toward governments and people across the world, many of which are not watching as they simply couldn’t care less about this sport.

      Whereas protesting about in race deaths is directed more specifically at the organisations and vested interests in this sport who are far more likely to be watching and take note.

      One is a fairly useless and forgettable gesture, while one is a clearer point made to the very people who might be able to affect change.

      The entire peloton could strike for a whole year and it would have no effect on global cyclist safety, but if they did the same focused specifically on in race deaths they’d bring about radical change.

      Even if they extended to ‘pro riders training accidents’ rather than ‘all cyclists safety’ that immediately becomes a more complex topic where it’s harder to think of a solution or communicate to those with the power/money to help with change.

      I’m also writing this from England where driver anger has been weaponised against cyclist by political bad actors so cyclists are enemy number one in many peoples eyes, meaning change feels a long way off… I suspect many drivers first reaction would be: ‘then stop cycling on my roads’

      • Cycling in the US is part of the culture wars, with some people and local governments making great efforts to make spaces for safe recreational cycling and commuting, while others openly despise cyclists and consider it a fun pastime to intimidate them. Unfortunately, I also feel like we’re a long way from any kind of agreement on making cycling safer, especially if taxpayer dollars are involved. Anyway, I’m glad that a cyclist with Remco’s profile brought the situation in races to the public’s attention. It is something that can change, and there’s really no excuse for the awful things we’ve seen in 2026.

      • I get your point, but I think you underestimate how “road safety for cyclists” could be a common goal to fight for across all the stakeholders of the sport, much less complex and internally divisive than safety in races, which sees different organisers on different sides, and they against the UCI, and the volunteers with a different perspective, and again police forces with a different stance.

        But, as I had already written, uhm, anything is better than nothing. Alhough road safety has a way deeper impact on the sport (disconnecting from society might mean game over for a sport which relies so much on public space – and, no, stay quiet so drivers won’t get angrier is *not* the winning move).

        • It’s not as though pros also aren’t impacted by the kind of terrible driving and drivers as the rest of us are. There are a lot of training ‘accidents’ right? Sometimes professional advocacy is a double edged sword though. In Australia there was a bit of a trade off whereby close passing laws were implemented (good but very inconsistently enforced) but penalties for riding without a helmet rose to over $300 AUD (bad in my view). Other Aussies might dispute this, but my perception is that an organisation commemorating a pro who was killed by a driver while training was involved in this. I think I’m basically agreeing with you while noting professional cyclists might have very different priorities to more everyday cyclists and sometimes this ends up with less than ideal outcomes.

    • The irony about “road safety for cyclists in training” is that all the road furniture that is needed to slow down brainless car drivers in everyday traffic, is at the same time often an obstacle and a danger in a cycling race. Every race coverage I hear all the complaining about the increase of road furniture. Well, yeah, they increase for a reason.
      In an ideal world we wouldn’t need these obstacles, we had humans with functional working brains on the road. But we’re stuck with caveman sapiens who use cars as a raging dick extension, unfortunately

13. “Ciccone rotated his head in strigiform manner to observe Mas behind him rather concern himself with Seixas.”

    How do you pull out writing like this so often Inrng? You manage to educate and inform us at the same time. 😉

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