Race Report: Tadej Pogačar did what Tadej Pogačar does — he attacked, crushed, and conquered. The Slovenian superstar once again turned Il Lombardia into his personal playground, blasting clear on the Passo di Ganda, hunting down lone escapee Quinn Simmons, and riding the final 34 kilometers alone to take his fifth straight win at the Race of the Falling Leaves. Behind him, Remco Evenepoel could only shrug and settle for second, another victim of Pogi’s autumn domination.

Lovely day for a Saturday ride in Como.

The Route – Same Roads, Same Story

This year’s 238 km edition from Como to Bergamo followed the same demanding route as 2023: a day stacked with the Passo della Crocetta (11.7 km at 5.8%), Passo di Ganda (9.2 km at 7.3%), and the final sting in the legs — the Colle Aperto (1.3 km at 7.4%). Three kilometers of twisting descent led to the finish in Bergamo Alta, but as everyone in the race knew, if Pogačar was going to go, it would be long before the line.

And go he did.

The Break – Big Names, Big Gamble

From the gun, the move of the day formed — a dozen strongmen eager for TV time and maybe a miracle. Among them: Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), Quinn Simmons (Lidl–Trek), Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), Louis Vervaeke (Soudal Quick-Step), and Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike).

They were joined by a mix of hopefuls and hardmen: Gal Glivar (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Walter Calzoni (Q36.5), Thibault Guernalec (Arkéa-B&B), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Bjoern Koerdt (Picnic PostNL), Mattia Bais (Polti VisitMalta), and Victor Langellotti (Burgos-BH).

No time to stop at one of our favorite hotels – Il Perlo.

Their advantage hovered around three minutes as they scaled the Madonna del Ghisallo, climbed from the easier side this year but descended the trickier one — just ask Tom Pidcock, who hit the deck but bounced back on his bike like only Pidcock can.

UAE in Command – No Surprises There

With UAE Team Emirates XRG calling the shots, and a little help from Red Bull–BORA-hansgrohe, the bunch was never going to let the escape dream too big. Over the Roncola (9.4 km at 6.6%) and Berbenno (6.9 km at 4.9%), the tempo rose, the peloton thinned, and Pogacar’s bodyguards — Majka, Vine, and Del Toro — kept everything neatly in control.

By the Crocetta, the leaders’ gap was down to three minutes, and it was clear the fuse had been lit. Quinn Simmons launched from the front group, the American going full-send solo while the big names behind began to shuffle their cards.

The Ganda: Pogi’s Playground

The Passo di Ganda has become synonymous with Pogačar’s annual masterpiece, and 2025 was no exception. Rafal Majka emptied himself first, then Jay Vine took over with a ferocious pull that shredded what was left of the contenders. Only Pogačar, Evenepoel, Isaac Del Toro, Michael Storer, and Paul Seixas were left clinging to the wheel.

And then — boom.
With just under six kilometers to the summit, Pogi went. No hesitation, no glances back. Evenepoel didn’t even bother to chase — he knew.

Up ahead, Simmons was riding heroically but hopelessly. The world champion reeled him in with 3.1 km to go, gave him a brief look, and then dropped him like a bad habit 300 meters later. By the top of the Ganda, Pogačar had over a minute in hand. Game over.

The Descent to Destiny

Behind, Evenepoel was the best of the rest, chasing alone as Storer and Simmons faded. The Belgian fought hard, even as the motorcycles on the Colle Aperto momentarily slowed him — not that it mattered. There was no catching the Slovenian express.

Pogačar flew through the old streets of Bergamo, arms aloft, taking his fifth consecutive Lombardia win and tying Fausto Coppi’s legendary record.

Five in a row.
The Race of the Falling Leaves — the Reign of the Rising Star.

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