Five straight wins. One empty start slot on Saturday, October 10, 2026.
Tadej Pogačar will not start Il Lombardia 2026. The race organizer says he was ruled out after a crash at the Vuelta a España.
The 120th edition runs from Bergamo to Como with nine climbs and a double-ascent finale.
The Race at a Glance
The course covers 149 miles (239km) with more than 15,000 feet (4,600m) of climbing.
It is the season’s final Monument. First held in 1905, the race is known as the Race of the Falling Leaves.
Twenty-five teams are scheduled to start. The course direction is reversed from 2025, which ran from Como to Bergamo.
Pogačar won the last five editions, from 2021 to 2025. He shares the record of five wins with Fausto Coppi.
The Route: Ghisallo, Civiglio and San Fermo Twice
The organizer’s route lists nine categorized climbs from Bergamo to Como.
Out of Bergamo the race heads into Val Seriana for Colle dei Pasta, Selvino, Colle di Berbenno and Valpiana. Selvino runs 6.3 miles (10.1km) at 5.9% with hairpins.
Then comes Colle Brianza from the Giovenzana side and a fast drop into Lecco. The course follows Lake Como to Bellagio, where the Ghisallo starts.
The Ghisallo measures 5.3 miles (8.6km) at 6.2% with ramps up to 14%. Its summit sits about 37 miles (60km) from the finish.
Pope Pius XII declared the Madonna del Ghisallo patroness of cyclists in 1949. The chapel holds riders’ jerseys and bicycles, with the cycling museum next door.
In Como riders enter a 13.7-mile (22km) circuit. San Fermo della Battaglia runs 1.7 miles (2.7km) at 7.2%, then the race crosses the finish line.
Next is Civiglio at 2.6 miles (4.2km) and 9.7%, with the road narrowing at the summit. The descent returns to Como for a second ascent of San Fermo.
Its maximum is 10% on narrow, rough hairpins. The summit sits about 3 miles (5km) from the line, then a descent with two tunnels reaches the finish.
Who the Organizer Is Watching
The organizer says the race will see the search begin for Tadej Pogačar’s successor.
For UAE Team Emirates-XRG it names road world champion Brandon McNulty, who won the title in Montreal, and Isaac Del Toro, fifth on his debut in 2025.
Remco Evenepoel leads Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe with Primož Roglič as second leader. Evenepoel was runner-up in 2024 and 2025 and starts as the newly crowned European champion.
Also named are Tom Pidcock, mountain bike world champion and sixth on debut in 2025, European vice-champion Giulio Ciccone and French rider Paul Seixas, seventh in 2025.
The organizer’s outsiders are Michael Storer and Quinn Simmons, third and fourth in 2025, plus Matteo Jorgenson, Christian Scaroni, Davide Piganzoli and Giulio Pellizzari.
Bauke Mollema, the 2019 winner, races the final race of his career.
How to Watch Il Lombardia 2026 in the US
Racing starts at 5:00 a.m. ET (2:00 a.m. PT) on Saturday, October 10, 2026, which is 11:00 a.m. in Italy.
The finish in Como is expected between 10:40 and 11:20 a.m. ET, depending on race speed.
Live coverage in the US is on FloBikes and HBO Max, per the organizer.
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