Il Lombardia LIVE – Strong 14-man break leads the race

2025-10-11T11:44:43.880Z

UAE’s domestique Novak was one of the riders dropped on the climb having done lots of work for his team setting the pace at the front of the peloton, but is trying to bridge back up to the peloton to do another shift.

2025-10-11T11:40:12.053Z

One of the most exciting names on the startlist today is Paul Seixas, making his monument debut at the age of just 19.Third-place at the European Championships confirmed that he might be one of the few riders in the world able to compare with Tadej Pogačar in terms of pure talent – but surely this year’s Il Lombardia will come too soon in his career for him to take him on today?

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The climb is also claiming victims in the break – Matthews’ teammate Hellemose is being distanced.

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The whittling down process has begun. Riders are starting to be dropped out the back of the peloton as they ascend the climb.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Uno-X Mobility teammates Andreas Leknessund and Johannes Kulset touched wheels, but both are OK.

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Remco Evenepoel is seen as the man most likely to take the race to Pogačar, and potentially challenge him for the win. Here’s what the Belgian had to say regarding his chances prior to the race.

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One team that hasn’t put their nose to the wind in the peloton is Remco Evenepoel’s Soudal-QuickStep. That doesn’t mean the team don’t believe they can challenge Pogačar – instead, they’ve been proactive in at least trying to put him under pressure, by getting Louis Vervaeke in the break.

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The gap between the leaders and the peloton is the highest it’s been all day, surpassing three minutes for the first time.

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Pogačar waxed lyrical about the strength of his team prior to the race.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Mattias Skjelmose was another rider who had been caught out in the split. He’s now riding at the back of the peloton.

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It seems the riders who had been caught out in the split are now back in the peloton. Meanwhile the break’s lead is two minutes.

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Toms Skujiņš has just tried an attack from out the blue, only to sit back after remonstrating with the TV moto.

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The iconic sight of Madonna del Ghisallo, chiming its bells as the riders ascended to the peak.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Some big names have been caught out on the group behind the peloton – as well as Pidcock, Thymen Arensman and Romain Grégoire are here.

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The gap between the break and the peloton remains at about 2:15, but there’s now a group of stragglers 45 seconds behind the latter.

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There have been splits in the peloton in the aftermath of that descent. he front peloton is very large still, but Pidcock isn’t in it.

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It seems that it was his shoes that Pidcock wasn’t happy with – he’s just had them replaced.

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The break’s lead remains at about 2:15.

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Pidcock is at the back of the peloton following his crash, and doesn’t look happy with his bike. He might be about to have a change.

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Red Bull’s Matteo Sobrero, leading the peloton.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2025-10-11T10:10:21.125Z

Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe’s Jan Tratnik is leading the peloton, his team still assisting UAE Team Emirates XRG with the pace-setting. That may frustrate some teams, who will see the best way of defeating the team and their leader Tadej Pogačar by all uniting against them.

2025-10-11T10:07:46.681Z

Pidcock’s fall shows just why there was a scramble for position ahead of this descent – it’s a steep one, steeper than the way up.

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Tom Pidcock has gone down in a crash on the descent. He’s back up and riding and looks OK, but that’s far from ideal.

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There’s a bit of a battle at the front of the peloton as they go over the climb’s summit, with teams wanting to be well-positioned for the descent.

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The break pass over the top of the familiar Madonna del Ghisallo church, with a lead of about 2:20 over the peloton.

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Madonna del Ghisallo is being ascended via its gentler side, which averages 3.9% for 8.8km.

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It’s an iconic climb, and is home to a cycling museum, but is no longer one of the key climbs in terms of determining how the race unfolds.

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The riders are making their way up the first climb of the day, and it’s a famous one – the Madonna del Ghisallo, the climb most historically associated with the Tour of Lombardy.

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The break at the front of the race.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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The break’s lead has grown to just over two minutes, and continues to get bigger.

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They’re currently working to control the break, rather than bring it back. It seems like the 14 riders up the road might indeed be our break of the day.

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Sobrero is now on Novak’s wheel, as UAE resume control.

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The peloton is being led by a Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe domestique, Matteo Sobrero, rather than one of the UAE contingent. They must be unhappy at having missed the break.

2025-10-11T09:36:52.640Z

The three chasers have indeed been caught.

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The three chasers have thrown in the towel and sat up, and will allow themselves to be brought back into the peloton.

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A first look at the breakaway up the road.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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In between, De Marchi, Leknessund and Taminiaux are just under a minute behind the leaders.

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The peloton hasn’t sat up, but this break is looking good. Their lead has grown to 1:30.

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Having swelled in size with riders bridging up to it, and lost a few men from earlier, there are now 14 in the lead group: Ganna, Hamilton, Langellotti, Matthews, Hellemose, Simmons, Gilvar, Lemmen, Bilbao, Guernalec, Vervaeke, Calzoni, Koerdt and Mattia Bais.

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A few riders have gone down in a crash, including Sepp Kuss. They’re all back up on their feet now.

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Nairo Quintana, Staune-Mittet and Formolo were the latest to try an attack, but have been brought back.

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UAE Team Emirates XRG have Domen Novak setting a pace at the front of the peloton, but he’s having a hard time controlling this. The break is almost a minute up the road, and more attacks are still coming out of the peloton.

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Lionel Taminiaux has joined that duo, and is helping chase the leaders.

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Leknessund and De Marchi are the latest to try and chanse up to the leaders from the peloton.

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It hasn’t settled down in the peloton, with more attacks coming out of it. The lead group is about 15 seconds up the road.

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Mattia Bais and Louis Vervaeke have also joined them.

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More riders have bridged up to this group, most notably Filippo Ganna.

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As well as Simmons, Bilbao and Matthews, the other riders in the group are Gal Glivar, Walter Calzoni, Lucas Hamilton, Bart Lemmen, Asbjørn Hellemose, Diego Pablo Sevilla and Thibault Guernalec.

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The peloton is about five seconds behind, and Orluis Aular has just attacked out of it to try and join the leaders.

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Pello Bilbao is another man in this group.

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Michael Matthews is also in this group. It seems like some of the big names are determined not to just wait around today for Pogačar to do his thing, and instead try to ride on the front foot.

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Simmons has about ten riders with him, a few seconds ahead of the peloton.

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Quinn Simmons attacks right from the off – he’s a big name to be making a move so early on.

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And they’re off!

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Just one more kilometre to go until the flag drops and the race proper starts. This is a prestigious race to get into the day’s break for, so there will be an eagerness among many to attack from the off.

2025-10-11T09:01:04.292Z

Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel sharing a moment before doing battle today. These two have been the protagonists of the late-season one day races, occupying first and second place at both the Worlds and European Championships, and will face-off again one final time today.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2025-10-11T08:53:16.821Z

The riders awaiting the unofficial start in Como.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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It’s an emotional day in the peloton, as many are riding the final race of their careers. As well as Majka, Louis Meintjes is another set to retire, here given a guard of honour by his colleagues.

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2025-10-11T08:48:09.693Z

The first flag is waved and the riders have begun navigating the neutralised zone.

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It might bear the poetic moniker of Race of the Falling Leaves due to its autumnal setting, but the weather in Lombardy is pleasant today, with the sun shining and the temperature at a mild seventeen degrees.

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Pogačar prior to the start of the race today, honouring his teammate Rafał Majka, who is poised to retire. The Pole has been one of Pogačar’s most essential teammates over the years, and has a chance to contribute to one last major win today.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2025-10-11T08:38:17.955Z

The riders are just a few moments away from the neutralised start.

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Here’s more information about the route for this year. Unlike the other monuments, Il Lombardia varies more year on year, and for the 2025 edition will switch directions again with a start in Como and finish in Bergamo.