Bauke Mollema to end career at Il Lombardia as Pogačar’s absence opens the race

Bauke Mollema will end his professional career at Il Lombardia on Saturday, October 10, returning to the race he won in 2019, organiser RCS Sport said.

Mollema said in February that 2026 would be his last season. He turned professional in 2008 and won Lombardia with an 18km solo move, adding the Monument to a record that includes Tour de France stage wins in 2017 and 2021 and a Vuelta a España stage victory in 2013.

“Now it's time to start my final season as a professional rider. One more year, one last dance. See you on the road!” he wrote on Instagram.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) will miss the season’s final Monument after five consecutive victories. He crashed out of the Vuelta a España on August 29, and his team confirmed he would not race again in 2026 following a concussion, a stable C7 cervical fracture and an open clavicle fracture.

Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates XRG) arrives as road world champion after preparing for his rainbow-jersey debut in Italy. He and teammate Isaac Del Toro, fifth on his Lombardia debut last year, give UAE two leading options.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished second in both 2024 and 2025 and returns as European champion. Primož Roglič gives the team a second leader.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), the mountain bike world champion, was sixth on debut last year. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) finished seventh, while Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) and Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) were third and fourth respectively.

Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), runner-up at the European Championships, also features among the contenders.

Nine climbs on the road to Como

Twenty-five teams are entered for the 120th edition, which covers 239km and 4,600m of elevation gain. The nine climbs begin in the Bergamo Pre-Alps, with Colle dei Pasta, Selvino, Colle di Berbenno and Valpiana forming the first sequence.

The course then crosses Alta Brianza over Colle Brianza before descending towards Lecco and reaching Lake Como. The Ghisallo, approached from Bellagio, has gradients of up to 14% before the race heads towards its finishing circuit.

Como’s 22km circuit includes two ascents of San Fermo della Battaglia, with Civiglio between them. Civiglio’s gradients sit consistently around 10%; the final San Fermo ascent averages about 7% and reaches its summit roughly 5km from the finish.

The descent ends with 1km remaining, followed by a wide left-hand bend 600 metres from the line.

The team presentation takes place at Sentierone in Bergamo on Friday, October 9, at 5pm. Saturday’s start is scheduled for 10.45am, with the finish expected between 4.40pm and 5.20pm.