No Pogacar, a circuit finale and a team presentation - What's new at Il Lombardia in 2026

As had previously been indicated, Il Lombardia maintains its policy of rotating the finish between Bergamo and Como. This year’s race will start from Bergamo and travel eastwards towards the rugged terrain near Lake Como.

The 239km course features the climbs of Selvino, Colle di Berbenno, Valpiana and Giovenzana ahead of the traditional ascent of the Madonna del Ghisallo. The race will crest the summit with 61km remaining.

The finale of this year’s edition of Il Lombardia is a repeat of 2022, with the race taking in a finishing circuit around Como. The gruppo will tackle San Fermo della Battaglia for the first time with 28km to go before passing through the finish line in Como to begin a 22km local lap.

The climb of Civiglio precedes the final ascent of San Fermo della Battaglia, which is followed by a 5.2km plunge to the line.

This demanding 120th edition of the Race of the Falling Leaves boasts some 4,600m of total climbing across its 239km.

Il Lombardia will mark Lidl-Trek general manager Luca Guercilena’s first Monument as RCS Sport’s new Cycling Director. He confirmed that the race would follow Milan-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège by introducing a team presentation in Bergamo on the eve of the race.

“We expect most of the top riders who will be competing on Sunday at the World Championships to take part, in what could almost be described as a rematch of the world title race,” Guercilena said. “We have also introduced a new feature: the team presentation at the Sentierone, a highlight for the public, aimed at fostering an even closer connection between the champions and the city of Bergamo on the eve of the race.”

The 2026 Il Lombardia will already be a novel one due to the absence of Tadej Pogačar, who last year became the first rider in history to win the same Monument five times in succession. The Slovenian suffered a broken collarbone in a crash at the Vuelta a España, an incident that has ruled him out of the Worlds and will prevent him, for a year at least, from surpassing Fausto Coppi by winning a sixth Il Lombardia.

In Pogačar’s absence, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Enric Mas (Movistar) are among those expected to challenge for victory in Como.

RCS Sport has also confirmed Bardiani CSF, MBH Bank, Polti-VisitMalta and Unibet Rose Rockets as the wildcard invitations for Il Lombardia. ProTeams Cofidis, Pinarello-Q36.5 and Tudor qualify by right due to their positions in the 2025 UCI rankings.