The start of Il Lombardia 2025 saw a series of heartfelt send-offs on Saturday morning in Como, as the peloton said goodbye to the riders who were pinning on a number for the final time at the race of the falling leaves.

Rafał Majka (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Pieter Serry (Soudal-QuickStep), Salvatore Puccio (Ineos Grenadiers), Simone Petilli and Louis Meintjes (both Intermarché-Wanty) are all hanging up their racing wheels at the end of this season, and were honoured on Saturday morning.

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Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian rider Pieter Serry (C) is hoisted up by teammates as he celebrates his last race, ahead of the 119th edition of the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), a 238km cycling race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)Serry’s Soudal-QuickStep teammates gave him a send-off on the podium(Image credit: Getty Images)UAE Team Emirates’s Polish rider Rafal Majka (C) is hoisted up by teammates as he celebrates his last race, ahead of the 119th edition of the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), a 238km cycling race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)As did UAE Team Emirates-XRG for Majka(Image credit: Getty Images)Intermarche–Wanty’s Italian rider Simone Petilli gives a thumbs up on the sign-in podium as he celebrates his last race, ahead of the 119th edition of the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), a 238km cycling race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)A final sign-on for Simone Petilli(Image credit: Getty Images)COMO, ITALY - OCTOBER 11: (L-R) Filippo Ganna of Italy and Salvatore Puccio of Italy and Team INEOS Grenadiers honored in his farewell and last race as a professional cyclist, Thymen Arensman of Netherlands and Victor Langellotti of Monaco and Team INEOS Grenadiers prior to the 119th Il Lombardia 2025 a 241km one day race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)Retirement accessories for Salvatore Puccio(Image credit: Getty Images)COMO, ITALY - OCTOBER 11: (L-R) Simone Petilli of Italy and Louis Meintjes of South Africa and Team Intermarche - Wanty honored in them farewell and last race as a professional cyclists prior to the 119th Il Lombardia 2025 a 241km one day race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)Intermarché had two retiring riders, with Petilli and Meintjes(Image credit: Getty Images)

Before the race began, the peloton lined up in a now-traditional guard of honour, making a tunnel of bikes for the veteran riders to walk down before starting their final race as professionals.

Though it’s their final day of racing and the start may have been a moment of celebration, the retiring riders still have a job to do.

Rafał Majka is in northern Italy to try to help his teammate Tadej Pogačar win a historic fifth-consecutive Lombardia title, whilst Pieter Serry is part of a Soudal-QuickStep team that is hoping Remco Evenepoel can be the one to challenge the imperious world champion.

Majka is saying goodbye after a long career that started in 2011 and has seen him become one of the most respected and successful domestiques in the peloton, playing a particularly key role in several of Pogačar’s major victories.

Serry also turned professional in 2011, and has also spent his career as a committed domestique, ending his racing years without an individual pro win to his name, but having played a part in many of Soudal-QuickStep’s victories.

Italy’s Salvatore Puccio is enjoying a home send-off – though some way away from his home in Sicily – but Ineos Grenadiers will be looking for opportunities for Egan Bernal, Thymen Arensman and Filippo Ganna on Saturday.

South Africa’s Louis Meintjes is yet to officially announce his retirement after floating the idea during the season, but his part in the farewells in Como confirmed that this is the end of his career after a long tenure as one of Africa’s foremost professional riders.

The youngest of the retirees is Simone Petilli, only 32, who decided to hang up his wheels after achieving everything he wanted to in cycling, including racing the Giro d’Italia five times.

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Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian rider Pieter Serry waves as he cycles past fellow riders lining the start area to celerbate his last race ahead of the 119th edition of the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), a 238km cycling race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)Serry says goodbye(Image credit: Getty Images)Ineos Grenadiers’s Italian rider Salvatore Puccio walks his bicycle past riders lining the start area to celebrate his last race ahead of the 119th edition of the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), a 238km cycling race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)A farewell for Puccio(Image credit: Getty Images)COMO, ITALY - OCTOBER 11: Louis Meintjes of South Africa and Team Intermarche - Wanty honored in his farewell and last race as a professional cyclist prior to the 119th Il Lombardia 2025 a 241km one day race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)Meintjes hangs up his wheels(Image credit: Getty Images)Intermarche–Wanty’s Italian rider Simone Petilli walks past riders lining the start line to celebrate his last race, ahead of the 119th edition of the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), a 238km cycling race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)Petilli calls it a day at 32(Image credit: Getty Images)UAE Team Emirates’s Polish rider Rafal Majka cycles past fellow riders lining the start line to celebrate his last race, before the 119th edition of the Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), a 238km cycling race from Como to Bergamo on October 11, 2025. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP)Majka is honoured by the peloton(Image credit: Getty Images)