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Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro headline a star-studded list of favorites for the final Monument of the season.
Remco Evenepoel won the battle for second at Il Lombardia in 2025. Can he go one better in a Pogačar-less field this time?
Cor Vos
Some of the sport’s biggest names are set to do battle in the final Monument of the season this weekend in Italy. Il Lombardia gets underway on Saturday, and after five straight years of singular dominance by Tadej Pogačar, “the race of falling leaves” will crown a new winner in 2026.
With the Slovenian star still recovering from the injuries he sustained in a crash at the Vuelta a España last month, Il Lombardia will be an open contest where several star climbers will like their chances of securing a Monument victory.
Here is everything you need to know about route and the favorites for the 120th edition of Il Lombardia.
The favorites
We’ll break down the contenders more thoroughly below, but as a sneak-peek, here are our top favorites for Sunday’s race.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Paul Seixas, Tom Pidcock
⭐⭐⭐: Giulio Ciccone, Brandon McNulty, Christian Scaroni, Ben Healy
⭐⭐: Matteo Jorgenson, Primož Roglič, Jarno Widar, Davide Piganzoli, Richard Carapaz
⭐: Quinn Simmons, Michael Storer, Enric Mas, Pello Bilbao, Juan Ayuso, Oscar Onley, Adam Yates, Jan Christen, Florian Lipowitz, Lennert van Eetvelt
When and how to watch
Il Lombardia starts on Saturday at 10:45 am CEST (4:45 am EDT/7:50 pm AEDT). The race is set to finish some time around 4:45 pm CEST (10:45 am EDT/1:45 am AEDT), and you can expect post-race analysis from How the Race was Won to follow.
Streaming: HBO Max (US); TNT Sports (UK); FloBikes (CAN); SBS/Flobikes (AUS). As always, our how to watch guide has the details on the full WorldTour calendar.
How to watch pro bike racing in 2026
A complete guide for how to watch the Tour de France and every 2026 men’s and women’s WorldTour road race for audiences in the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK, plus tips on how to save money.
The route
Il Lombardia alternates between a Bergamo-to-Como and a Como-to-Bergamo route each year, and 2026 is a Bergamo-to-Como year. That aspect of the race defines what challenges will decide the finale – although the route will also feature some significant changes compared to the last Bergamo-to-Como year, 2024.
For starters, the race will be a bit shorter at 239 km, closer to last year’s distance of 241 km than the 2024 distance of 255 km. Along the way, riders will tackle some 4,800 meters of elevation gain. Much of that climbing comes relatively early in the day, softening up the legs without much chance of the big favorites going on the attack.
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