Il Lombardia LIVE – Strong 12-man break leads the race as Tadej Pogačar plots to win final monument of the season

Incidentally, the break is now down to 10 riders - Lucas Hamilton was dropped out of it and back into the peloton on the previous climb, leaving Ganna with just one teammate.

The gap continues to rise, now up to three minutes.

90KM TO GO

It's much calmer than it was in the peloton. The gap's continuing to grow, now rising to over 2:30.

Victory here would also see Pogačar equal Italian legend Fausto Coppi as joint-record holder for most number of victories of Il Lombardia. We did a deep dive on both riders’ history at this race.

Emulating Il Campionissimo – Tadej Pogačar, Fausto Coppi and two vastly different paths to Il Lombardia immortality

Everything’s gone smoothly so far for Tadej Pogačar today, who is still poised to make history by becoming the first man to win five consecutive editions of Il Lombardia.

This descent has been less technical and steep as the previous ones, and therefore there’s been less stress and a slower relative pace in the peloton.

The peloton has calmed down somewhat, and for the first time in a while the break has increased its lead. They now have 2 minutes on the peloton again.

100KM TO GO

As we mentioned earlier in the day, this race will be the last in the career of many illustrious riders taking part today. Be sure to read more about their send offs.

Send-offs for Rafał Majka, Pieter Serry, Salvatore Puccio and more retiring riders at Il Lombardia – Gallery

The break reach the top of the climb short another man, with Glivar dropped and absorbed back into the peloton.

UAE Team Emirates XRG continue to press on on the climb, and have brought the leaders to within 1:40.

110KM TO GO

The Healy / Seixas group is back with the peloton, as they take on the climb.

Hamilton is back in the lead group, and it's his Ineos teammate Langellotti who is setting the pace. They seem to be wanting to set something up for Ganna.

Like Healy, Paul Seixas has also been caught out the wrong side of the split in the peloton.

Hamilton is dropped out of the break as they start climbing, seemingly with a mechanical issue of some kind.

Up ahead, the break are starting the latest climb, Berbenno. This one averages 4.9% for 6.9km.

BERBENNO

Ben Healy is caught out in the second group.

This one's a more serious one than before - the front group is small, with maybe about 30 riders in it.

There's been a split in the peloton, under the pressure of UAE's pace.

The gap continues to fall as UAE ride at the front. It's now down to 1:50.

120KM TO GO

Remco Evenepoel, still keeping his head down in the peloton.

There’s another upping of the pace at the front of the peloton, in preparation for the descent that follows the false-flat after the peak of the Roncola climb.

The gap's dowo to 2 minutes for the first time in a while. UAE Team Emirates XRG are starting to up the pace in the peloton, with Sivakov setting the pace.

130KM TO GO

UAE’s domestique Novak was one of the riders dropped on the climb having done lots of work for his team setting the pace at the front of the peloton, but is trying to bridge back up to the peloton to do another shift.

One of the most exciting names on the startlist today is Paul Seixas, making his monument debut at the age of just 19.Third-place at the European Championships confirmed that he might be one of the few riders in the world able to compare with Tadej Pogačar in terms of pure talent - but surely this year’s Il Lombardia will come too soon in his career for him to take him on today?

'When you race against Pogačar, you take a slap in the face but I'm happy to take them' - Paul Seixas ready for Il Lombardia debut

The peloton has now also crested the climb, 2:30 behind the leaders.

UAE Team Emirates XRG have taken full control of the peloton, leading it all the way up this climb.

The break reaches the top of the climb still mostly intact, with only Hellemose and Guernalec dropped from it so far.

The gap's come down on this climb, as UAE set a tempo. It's now at 2:30.

140KM TO GO

The climb is also claiming victims in the break - Matthews’ teammate Hellemose is being distanced.

The whittling down process has begun. Riders are starting to be dropped out the back of the peloton as they ascend the climb.

Uno-X Mobility teammates Andreas Leknessund and Johannes Kulset touched wheels, but both are OK.

Remco Evenepoel is seen as the man most likely to take the race to Pogačar, and potentially challenge him for the win. Here’s what the Belgian had to say regarding his chances prior to the race.

'Can I beat Tadej? Why not? Otherwise I wouldn't be here' – Remco Evenepoel ambitious and emotional in last race for Soudal-QuickStep

The climbs start to come thick and fast now. They’ve just started the Roncola, which lasts for 7.5km at an average of 7.4%.

RONCOLA

One team that hasn’t put their nose to the wind in the peloton is Remco Evenepoel’s Soudal-QuickStep. That doesn’t mean the team don’t believe they can challenge Pogačar - instead, they’ve been proactive in at least trying to put him under pressure, by getting Louis Vervaeke in the break.

The gap between the leaders and the peloton is the highest it's been all day, surpassing three minutes for the first time.

150KM TO GO

Pogačar waxed lyrical about the strength of his team prior to the race.

'The legs are good, the team is strong' - Tadej Pogačar backed by UAE super team for Il Lombardia record bid

Despite their strength, it’s still Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe who are doing the bulk of the work leading the peloton. This is some display of confidence in their leader Primož Roglič, given Pogačar’s status as overwhelming favourite.

Adam Yates is on bidon duty for UAE, picking some up out the back of the peloton. The fact a rider as strong as him is doing so shows just how strong their line-up is - in addition to Pogačar, they also have Isaac del Toro, Jay Vine and Pavel Sivakov riding.

2:30 is the gap as the riders take on the second of the day's eight climbs, San Gottardo.

160KM TO GO

Mattias Skjelmose was another rider who had been caught out in the split. He's now riding at the back of the peloton.

It seems the riders who had been caught out in the split are now back in the peloton. Meanwhile the break's lead is two minutes.

170KM TO GO

Toms Skujiņš has just tried an attack from out the blue, only to sit back after remonstrating with the TV moto.

The iconic sight of Madonna del Ghisallo, chiming its bells as the riders ascended to the peak.

Some big names have been caught out on the group behind the peloton - as well as Pidcock, Thymen Arensman and Romain Grégoire are here.

The gap between the break and the peloton remains at about 2:15, but there's now a group of stragglers 45 seconds behind the latter.

180KM TO GO

There have been splits in the peloton in the aftermath of that descent. he front peloton is very large still, but Pidcock isn't in it.

It seems that it was his shoes that Pidcock wasn't happy with - he's just had them replaced.

The break's lead remains at about 2:15.

190KM TO GO

Pidcock is at the back of the peloton following his crash, and doesn't look happy with his bike. He might be about to have a change.

Red Bull's Matteo Sobrero, leading the peloton.

Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe’s Jan Tratnik is leading the peloton, his team still assisting UAE Team Emirates XRG with the pace-setting. That may frustrate some teams, who will see the best way of defeating the team and their leader Tadej Pogačar by all uniting against them.

Pidcock’s fall shows just why there was a scramble for position ahead of this descent - it’s a steep one, steeper than the way up.

Tom Pidcock has gone down in a crash on the descent. He’s back up and riding and looks OK, but that’s far from ideal.

There’s a bit of a battle at the front of the peloton as they go over the climb’s summit, with teams wanting to be well-positioned for the descent.

The break pass over the top of the familiar Madonna del Ghisallo church, with a lead of about 2:20 over the peloton.

200KM TO GO

Madonna del Ghisallo is being ascended via its gentler side, which averages 3.9% for 8.8km.

It’s an iconic climb, and is home to a cycling museum, but is no longer one of the key climbs in terms of determining how the race unfolds.

The riders are making their way up the first climb of the day, and it's a famous one - the Madonna del Ghisallo, the climb most historically associated with the Tour of Lombardy.

MADONNA DEL GHISALLO

The break at the front of the race.

The break's lead has grown to just over two minutes, and continues to get bigger.

210KM TO GO

They’re currently working to control the break, rather than bring it back. It seems like the 14 riders up the road might indeed be our break of the day.

Sobrero is now on Novak’s wheel, as UAE resume control.

The peloton is being led by a Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe domestique, Matteo Sobrero, rather than one of the UAE contingent. They must be unhappy at having missed the break.

The three chasers have indeed been caught.

The three chasers have thrown in the towel and sat up, and will allow themselves to be brought back into the peloton.

A first look at the breakaway up the road.

In between, De Marchi, Leknessund and Taminiaux are just under a minute behind the leaders.

The peloton hasn't sat up, but this break is looking good. Their lead has grown to 1:30.

220KM TO GO

Having swelled in size with riders bridging up to it, and lost a few men from earlier, there are now 14 in the lead group: Ganna, Hamilton, Langellotti, Matthews, Hellemose, Simmons, Gilvar, Lemmen, Bilbao, Guernalec, Vervaeke, Calzoni, Koerdt and Mattia Bais.

A few riders have gone down in a crash, including Sepp Kuss. They're all back up on their feet now.

Nairo Quintana, Staune-Mittet and Formolo were the latest to try an attack, but have been brought back.

UAE Team Emirates XRG have Domen Novak setting a pace at the front of the peloton, but he's having a hard time controlling this. The break is almost a minute up the road, and more attacks are still coming out of the peloton.

Lionel Taminiaux has joined that duo, and is helping chase the leaders.

Leknessund and De Marchi are the latest to try and chanse up to the leaders from the peloton.

It hasn't settled down in the peloton, with more attacks coming out of it. The lead group is about 15 seconds up the road.

230KM TO GO

Mattia Bais and Louis Vervaeke have also joined them.

More riders have bridged up to this group, most notably Filippo Ganna.

As well as Simmons, Bilbao and Matthews, the other riders in the group are Gal Glivar, Walter Calzoni, Lucas Hamilton, Bart Lemmen, Asbjørn Hellemose, Diego Pablo Sevilla and Thibault Guernalec.

The peloton is about five seconds behind, and Orluis Aular has just attacked out of it to try and join the leaders.

Pello Bilbao is another man in this group.

Michael Matthews is also in this group. It seems like some of the big names are determined not to just wait around today for Pogačar to do his thing, and instead try to ride on the front foot.

Simmons has about ten riders with him, a few seconds ahead of the peloton.

Quinn Simmons attacks right from the off - he’s a big name to be making a move so early on.

And they're off!

OFFICIAL START

Just one more kilometre to go until the flag drops and the race proper starts. This is a prestigious race to get into the day's break for, so there will be an eagerness among many to attack from the off.

Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel sharing a moment before doing battle today. These two have been the protagonists of the late-season one day races, occupying first and second place at both the Worlds and European Championships, and will face-off again one final time today.

The riders awaiting the unofficial start in Como.

It’s an emotional day in the peloton, as many are riding the final race of their careers. As well as Majka, Louis Meintjes is another set to retire, here given a guard of honour by his colleagues.

The first flag is waved and the riders have begun navigating the neutralised zone.

It might bear the poetic moniker of Race of the Falling Leaves due to its autumnal setting, but the weather in Lombardy is pleasant today, with the sun shining and the temperature at a mild seventeen degrees.

Pogačar prior to the start of the race today, honouring his teammate Rafał Majka, who is poised to retire. The Pole has been one of Pogačar’s most essential teammates over the years, and has a chance to contribute to one last major win today.

The riders are just a few moments away from the neutralised start.

Here’s more information about the route for this year. Unlike the other monuments, Il Lombardia varies more year on year, and for the 2025 edition will switch directions again with a start in Como and finish in Bergamo.

Il Lombardia 2025 route

Who is going to win today? Check out our analysis of the main contenders to see who are our picks.

Who will win Il Lombardia 2025? – Analysing the contenders for the final autumn Classic

The race gets underway in just under an hour (10.55 CEST).

We'll be here to keep you updated with the race all day long, as world champion Tadej Pogačar chases a historic fifth victory in a row.

He's won the last three races he started, including Worlds and Europeans. Do you think he can do it again today?

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews' live coverage of Il Lombardia 2025!