'I just kept hanging on' – Michael Storer takes surprise podium at Il Lombardia

“I was feeling really, really good from the start of the race, to be honest,” Storer said after the race to Cyclingpronet. “I already knew beforehand that a top ten was super realistic, and if I have a good day then who knows? And it turned out it was that who knows.”

As Tadej Pogačar launched his trademark solo and Remco Evenepoel gave chase, Storer stayed calm. “I was just trying to hang on as long as possible to the front group, even though Tadej went off and did his thing,” he explained. “The group got smaller and smaller and I just kept hanging on, hanging on. And I was about to finish third in the end.”

For a moment, it looked like he was able to follow Evenepoel’s wheel on the descent. “Yeah, I took a lot of risk on the descent,” Storer admitted. “The problem was the sprinting out of the corners. It was just burning my legs. And then actually when I dropped off the wheel, I could go a bit quicker,” he laughed. “But anyway, I opened the gap. He’s just super strong and I couldn’t do those sprints to hang on anymore.”

It was a result that capped a quietly consistent season for the 27-year-old, one marked by steady progress and renewed confidence. 

“It’s been a really, really great year, and I can’t think of a better way to finish it off,” he said. “I’ll just try and do what I’ve been doing this year, working hard, being as well prepared as possible for racing. If it goes well, that’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s also fine. That’s life. That’s sport. You have ups and downs.”

When asked if his season was officially over, Storer smiled and was quick to respond. “No, no, no,” he said. “It’s over.” The Australian laughed, clearly ready to enjoy the off season.

If you want to learn more about the back story of Michael Storer, check out the episode out the Domestique Hotseat on Youtube and Spotify!