The 2026 edition of Il Lombardia, the final Monument of the road season, began late on Saturday after riders refused to roll out on schedule in a protest over safety, according to RMC Sport and other French outlets covering the race. The delay was reported by Sports Orange, while Le Figaro carried the riders' message that they wanted to get home "safe and sound." Racing eventually got under way with Remco Evenepoel, Paul Seixas and Isaac Del Toro all in the main group.
The protest drew a public response from the father of Finlay Tarling, who told L'Équipe that no other family should have to receive the kind of call his had. L'Équipe reported his remarks alongside the riders' action at the start.
Once the race was rolling, a group of fourteen riders built an advantage of 2'34" over the peloton, with the Madonna del Ghisallo climb — 8.6km at an average of 6.2%, with pitches close to 15% — waiting ahead of them. RMC Sport reported that the break consisted of Michael Leonard, Ben O'Connor, Andrea Mifsud, Johannes Kulset, Maxime Decomble, George Bennett, Pau Marti, Antonio Tiberi, Fausto Mascana, Sylvain Moniquet, Gijs Leemreize, Louis Vervaeke, Victor Campenaerts and Julien Bernard.
Why it matters
Il Lombardia closes the Monument calendar, and this year's race carried an unusual weight before a single pedal stroke was turned. A rider protest that pushes back a start is rare at this level of the sport, and it put safety — not form or tactics — at the centre of the day's coverage.
The race also mattered for what it revealed about the balance of power among the favourites. Evenepoel, Seixas and Del Toro were all present in the front group when the pace rose, and the way their teams traded turns in the closing kilometres offered a preview of how the final Monument might be decided.
The break, the chase and the Ghisallo
According to RMC Sport's live coverage, the fourteen leaders held 2'34" as they approached the Madonna del Ghisallo, a climb split into two parts with two severe ramps near 15%. Behind them, the peloton was strung out as riders fought for position on technical roads alongside the Lombard lakes, with the gap trimmed to 2'10" as the chase organised.
The British squad of Oscar Onley began helping UAE with the pursuit, RMC Sport reported, giving Pavel Sivakov a brief respite. On the front foot, the Italian rider — described by RMC Sport as the recent runner-up to Evenepoel at the European Championships — called for his team car, apparently dealing with a mechanical problem.
On the Ghisallo itself, Ben O'Connor's acceleration did immediate damage. RMC Sport reported that Antonio Tiberi and Andrea Mifsud were the first to be dropped, with only Gijs Leemreize able to follow the Australian. The Australian set the pace from the foot of the climb and again put Mifsud, the Maltese rider, under pressure. The Canadian rider made a large effort to rejoin the O'Connor-Leemreize duo, with George Bennett around twenty metres back.
By the time the leaders neared the top, only Ben O'Connor and Michael Leonard remained clear. RMC Sport reported that the climb had hurt badly and the peloton had already closed to within two minutes. The Swiss rider from UAE stretched the bunch, and RMC Sport noted that Del Toro was running low on teammates, suggesting his own move might not be far away.
The favourites close in
The gap kept falling. RMC Sport reported that the seven escapees still had 1'29" as they tackled a short but intense 2.64km ascent for the first time, and that the pace had already caused splits behind, with riders such as Martinez and Ayuso losing contact.
The seven leaders kept working efficiently, holding 1'10" over the peloton, then 55" as the chase reformed. Quinn Simmons, Brandon McNulty, Matteo Jorgenson and Christian Scaroni dropped back into the fold. RMC Sport reported that Louis Barré launched Jorgenson, with Simmons, McNulty and Scaroni following, forcing Evenepoel to respond.
With the help of Nicolas Prodhomme of Decathlon CMA CGM and the Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team, the group containing Seixas, Evenepoel and Del Toro closed to within 15 seconds of the American-Italian group. RMC Sport noted that the Italian in that chasing group was not taking turns, and that although three Americans were present, none of them rode for the same team.
The Jorgenson-McNulty-Simmons trio, with Scaroni alongside, crested the summit with 15 seconds over the peloton containing Evenepoel and Seixas. The Frenchman, sitting on Del Toro's wheel, was short of support in the bunch, though Tiesj Benoot was still visible. RMC Sport reported that the Italian from Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe took over with his leader Evenepoel on his wheel, and the gap fell to 1'24".
Behind Juan Felipe Rodriguez, Giulio Pellizzari led Evenepoel, who RMC Sport described as highly attentive on the climb. Rodriguez set a hard tempo at the head of the peloton, with all the favourites in the first third of the bunch. Pellizzari's earlier acceleration had already caused damage, with Martinez and Ayuso among those dropped.
RMC Sport also noted that although no categorised climb followed immediately, the road would not be genuinely flat over the next twenty kilometres, and that the Frenchman was joined by Tiesj Benoot, Seixas's teammate, who could work at the front of a group that also contained Del Toro. Meanwhile, the original break — Sylvain Moniquet, Michael Leonard, Julien Bernard, George Bennett, Louis Vervaeke, Ben O'Connor and Gijs Leemreize — was about to be swallowed by the group of three Americans.
What to watch
The race entered its decisive hour with the favourites grouped and the gap to the remaining leaders shrinking fast. RMC Sport reported that Del Toro, short of teammates, appeared ready to force the pace in the manner of his usual leader, Tadej Pogacar. Whether Evenepoel and Seixas could answer that move — and whether the safety protest that delayed the start leads to any formal action — is what the closing kilometres will tell.
