Remco Evenepoel has had a turbulent time since his finishing as runner-up in the Tour de France, winning the Grand Prix de Quebec and European Championship road race, and World Championships time trial but was off his best in the road race.
The pendulum of form swung back the wrong way again in Il Lombardia on Saturday, and left the European Champion eventually settling for fourth place.
Evenepoel came into the race as one of the top favourites but when Paul Seixas lit up the race on the Civiglio climb, it was clear he would not be winning it, as he wasn't even among the few riders who could hold the Frenchman's wheel for a short period of time.
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Evenepoel chased as the fourth rider on the road, before settling back into a bigger group, and then leading it across the line in Como.
"Personally, I felt good all day, but there was still some fatigue. In the last hour of the race, I didn't feel at my best anymore. I haven't really found my top form since the Tour, and in races like today, that speaks for itself," Evenepoel told Belgian broadcaster Sporza at the finish.
Evenepoel described a "tricky moment" when three rival teams launched dangerous riders up the road on the Madonna del Ghisallo, with World Champion Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) slipping clear and giving their teams an excuse to sit back in the bunch.
Evenepoel's Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammates managed the situation well and stitched the race back together, but when the race exploded on that crucial section of the Civiglio, Evenepoel's race imploded.
"My legs started to feel heavy on the long climb [Madonna del Ghisallo]. It certainly wasn't my best day on the bike, but it wasn't a bad one either. We have nothing to reproach ourselves for. There were simply stronger riders today," Evenepoel said.
It was an uneventful end to a season that began with a trio of wins in Mallorca in January, the overall Volta a Valenciana in February, a win in the Amstel Gold Race and podiums in the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April before a 69-day break from competition before the best Tour de France performance of his career.
Although his shape has been uneven since the Tour, he still scored his fourth win in the San Sebastian Classic, and even on a bad day in Lombardia, he was still just one rung off the podium.
"Look, it has been quite a long season. Since June, things have been a bit up and down for me, both in training and in races. I've had very good days, but also some weaker ones. And you can see that today. You have to be 100% here, but I wasn't," Evenepoel concluded.
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