RCS have revealed the route and the wildcard teams for this year's edition of Il Lombardia, with the traditional series of short, punchy climbs acting as the final challenge for Italy's second and final Monument of the year.
The 120th edition of the biggest autumn Classic of them all has the usual swapover of start and finish towns. As a result, Bergamo, where the race finished in 2025, will be the point of departure on Saturday 10 October for a 239-kilometre trek through the hills of northern Italy to Como, in total just a single kilometre longer than 12 months ago.
The dreaded Mur de Sormano and its toughest approach road, the Cima di Sormano, is avoided for a second year running. However, the finale is identical to 2022, starting with an ascent to the most emblematic Il Lombardia climb of all, the Madonna del Ghisallo, peaking out at 61 kilometres to go.
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Just 8.6 kilometres long, but with pitches of 9 to 14%, that kind of challenge could invite a long-distance attack, even in the absence of Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), the five-time winner from 2021-2025 who specialises in such moves. But if not, then the next obvious flashpoint will be the 22-kilometre finishing circuit, featuring a double ascent of the San Fermo della Battaglia and single climb of the Civiglio, sandwiched between the two.
The finishing circuit begins with an ascent of the San Fermo della Battaglia (2,7 km à 7,2 %) in Como's old quarter, prior to crossing the finish line for a first time. That is quickly followed by the much more difficult Civiglio (4,2 km à 9,7 %) then a loop back for a final showdown on the San Fermo.
With stretches of up to 10% and rough surface, the summit of the narrow San Fermo is reached after several hairpin bends. After that there are only five kilometres of straightforward descending to go before the finish.
Compared to 2024, the last time Il Lombardia concluded in Como, apart from the absence of the Sormano, the key difference is the much harder finale, which could encourage the contenders to succeed Pogačar to wait until late in the race to try to go clear.
During the same ceremony where the 2026 route was published, RCS also revealed the teams that have been invited as wildcards to this year's event.
In addition to the 18 UCI WorldTour squads and three UCI ProTeams that automatically have the option to qualify - Cofidis, Pinarello-Q36.5 and Tudor - the four guest teams for Il Lombardia 2026 are Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber, MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort, Polti-VisitMalta and Unibet Rose Rockets.
This will be the first time the up-and-coming Unibet Rose Rockets squad are present in the Race of the Falling Leaves, while Pinarello's participation also means Tom Pidcock, sixth last year, will be able to take part.
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