By kazimladimeji 
Il Lombardia is this weekend: Saturday 10 October 2026. The final Monument of the season runs from Bergamo to Como, and this year there is an unusually open question at the heart of it: who takes over from Tadej Pogačar?
UAE Team Emirates-XRG have confirmed that their injured defending champion will miss the race. Their response is a squad led by Brandon McNulty and Isaac del Toro, rather than one obvious replacement. That makes the tactical contest particularly interesting.
Preview checked on 8 October 2026. Team selections can change before the start. Predictions below are analysis, not confirmed race plans.
Il Lombardia 2026: the essentials
- Date: Saturday 10 October 2026.
- Race: men’s one-day UCI WorldTour race; the 120th edition.
- Route: Bergamo to Como, approximately 239km.
- UK viewing: TNT Sports on HBO Max, live and on demand, according to the broadcaster’s current race guide. A subscription including TNT Sports is required; check your package.
The UCI event listing confirms the date. For the wider season, see our 2026 UCI WorldTour calendar.
How to watch in the UK
TNT Sports’ 2026 preview confirms live coverage and an on-demand option through HBO Max. Its guide gives an approximate race start of 10am UK time and finish around 3pm. These are broad estimates, not a verified organiser timetable or programme start time. UK times are BST (UTC+1); Italy is on CEST (UTC+2).
Check the platform’s race listing before Saturday for the precise coverage window and any linear TV channel allocation. A separate highlights programme and its timing have not been verified here. The broadcaster’s Lombardia video page is a useful place to look afterwards, but old clips should not be mistaken for 2026 coverage.
The course: a climbing race with a demanding finish
The UAE team preview describes Madonna del Ghisallo, the steep Civiglio climb and a final ascent of San Fermo della Battaglia before the descent towards Como. It gives Civiglio as roughly 4km at 9%, followed by a winding descent, and San Fermo as 2.9km at 6.6%. Those are useful guides to the character of the finale, rather than a reason to underestimate everything that comes before it.
Tactical analysis: Civiglio looks like the place to force a serious selection: a sustained steep effort offers more scope to separate climbers than a short acceleration alone. A rider who gets clear still has to negotiate the descent and defend the gap. If a small group reaches San Fermo together, the final climb gives an attacker another opportunity before the run into Como.
The organiser’s website could not be retrieved during this check, so exact climb kilometre markers and the official start/finish timetable are left out rather than borrowed from another edition.
Who could win?
Remco Evenepoel: the leading threat
Evenepoel’s participation is reported in TNT Sports’ current preview; his team’s final Lombardia selection has not been independently verified here. His recent form is firmly established: Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe confirmed his European road title on 4 October, beating Giulio Ciccone in a close finish after the pair escaped.
Analysis: I would put Evenepoel at the front of the favourites discussion. Making the race hard and then creating a gap before the final approach looks a plausible route to victory. The difficulty is that rivals know this too: a strong team with several options can make him answer repeated moves.
Brandon McNulty and Isaac del Toro: confirmed UAE leaders
Both are confirmed in UAE’s announced squad. McNulty arrives as road world champion and was second at Coppa Agostoni on 4 October. Del Toro’s recent one-day credentials include victory at the GP de Montréal on 13 September, with McNulty third.
Analysis: Their strongest advantage may be having two credible winners. One can follow an attack while the other saves an effort, or they can take turns putting pressure on a rival. That only works if both reach the decisive section in contention; numbers on the start list are not the same as numbers at the front late in a Monument.
Tom Pidcock: a rider to watch, with participation still qualified
TNT Sports describes Pidcock as looking set to compete, rather than providing a team-confirmed selection. Treat him as a prospective contender until that is confirmed. Analysis: a finish combining steep climbing and technical descending gives a versatile rider opportunities beyond simply matching every uphill acceleration. This is a possible tactical route, not a prediction of an attack on a particular corner.
Weather and what to watch for
A race-specific forecast has not been verified for this draft. Do not assume an autumn race will automatically be wet. If rain develops, descending conditions and positioning could become more important; that is conditional analysis, not a weather forecast.
Watch who still has team-mates approaching the final climbs, whether the strongest contenders take turns attacking, and how quickly a chasing group agrees to work. A hesitation after a summit can matter just as much as the initial acceleration.
A practical takeaway for your own long rides
You do not need a professional’s race-day feeding plan to benefit from planning ahead. For a long hilly ride, choose food and drinks you already tolerate, carry enough for the expected duration and practise eating before the hardest sections. Test new products in training rather than on the day of an important ride.
Affiliate disclosure: as an Amazon Associate, BicycleGear earns from qualifying purchases. The products below are general options for riders, not claimed endorsements by Lombardia entrants. This preview does not claim hands-on testing.
The SiS GO Isotonic gels, SiS Beta Fuel gels and SiS Hydro tablets serve different purposes; a drink tablet should not be treated as a substitute for carbohydrate food. Read the current packaging and manufacturer information, particularly if you have dietary requirements.
Our SiS gel comparison explains the options in more detail. For carrying drinks, see our insulated cycling bottle guide.
Quick questions
Is Il Lombardia on Saturday or Sunday?
The elite men’s race is Saturday 10 October 2026. Do not confuse it with the separate gran fondo.
Is Pogačar racing?
No. UAE’s 8 October squad announcement confirms he is absent through injury.
Is this a stage race?
No. Lombardia is a single-day race, with no general classification or daily stages.
Who is the pick?
My analysis puts Evenepoel narrowly ahead of the confirmed UAE leadership pair. The interesting alternative is UAE using McNulty and Del Toro together to make the race harder to control. This is a prediction, not a guaranteed result.
Featured photograph: illustrative road cycling, not the 2026 Il Lombardia. Photo by Leyla Helvaci on Pexels, used under the Pexels licence.