CyclistIl Lombardia 2026: Our form guideThe final Monument of the season is here. Il Lombardia takes place on Saturday and five-time reigning champion Tadej Pogaar will not be there, providing a massive opportunity for someone else to grab a Monument victory.A pair of former Monument winners will line up at the start in Remco Evenepoel and Primo Rogli, however the favourite for the title is Pogaars young teammate Isaac del Toro, and French prodigy Paul Seixas is a threat to all of them. Below, well assess the form of the favourites to win the Race of the Falling Leaves.Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)Szymon Gruchalski/Getty ImagesNot even a crash can keep Remco Evenepoel down. The Belgian stormed to victory in the road race at the European Championships against Giulio Ciccone despite hitting the ground with 36km to go and could well claim his first Monument since 2023 at Il Lombardia.The Belgian has had two consecutive second places at Il Lombardia against Pogaar. and hes just claimed one of the Slovenians titles in his absence will he get another this weekend?Road victories this seasonEuropean Championship Elite Men Road RaceWorld Championship Elite Men Individual Time-TrialGrand Prix Cyclist de QuebecDonostia San Sebastian KlasikoaStage 16 ITT: Tour de FranceStage 15: Tour de FranceAmstel Gold RaceStage 2 ITT: UAE TourGC: Volta Comunitat ValencianaStage 4: Volta Comunitat ValencianaStage 2 ITT: Volta Comunitat ValencianaTrofeo Andratx-PollenaTrofeo Serra TramuntanaTrofeo Ses SalinesLast five results1st: European Championship Elite Men Road Race12th: World Championships Elite Men Road Race1st: World Championship Elite Men Individual Time-Trial5th: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral1st: Grand Prix Cycliste de QuebecBest result in Il Lombardia2nd: 2024, 2025Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG)Dario Belingheri/Getty ImagesIl Lombardia has been the most successful Monument for Isaac del Toro in his young career so far, the 22-year-old racing to fifth behind teammate Pogaar last year. After his mightily impressive third place in the Tour de France and overall victory in the Lidl Deutschland Tour, Del Toro has been placing highly in the one-day races in the back half of the season. He won the GP Montral, raced to sixth in the World Championship time-trial and fifth in the road race. He launched an attack at the recent Gran Piemonte but it couldnt stick and he ended up 82nd.UAE Team Emirates XRG bring a strong squad to Lombardia with recently crowned World Champion Brandon McNulty too. He likely wont be able to slip away though with those rainbow bands on.Road victories this seasonGrand Prix Cycliste de MontralGC: Lidl Deutschland TourPrologue: Lidl Deutschland TourStage 2: Tour de FranceGC: Tour Auvergne Rhne-AlpesStage 8: Tour Auvergne Rhne-AlpesStage 7: Tour Auvergne Rhne-AlpesGC: Tirreno-AdriaticoStage 6: Tirreno-AdriaticoGC: UAE TourStage 6: UAE TourStage 1: UAE TourLast five results82nd: Gran Piemonte5th: World Championship Elite Men Road Race6th: World Championship Elite Men Individual Time-Trial1st: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral55th: Grand Prix Cyclist de QuebecBest result in Il Lombardia5th: 2025Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)A.S.O./Gatan FlammeCarrying the French flag Paul Seixas, who has hopefully recovered mentally from his post-Worlds self-deprecation when he chastised himself for cramping in the final few kilometres of the road race, where he finished 15th.The Frenchman won the junior mens Lige-Bastogne-Lige in 2024 and has been a force to be reckoned with since stepping up to the WorldTour level. In the last edition of Il Lombardia, he raced to seventh place on debut. This season, he has taken a massive step up and was notably best of the rest behind Pogaar in Strade Bianche and Lige-Bastogne-Lige. Now, theres no Pogaar on the start lineRoad victories this seasonLa Flche WallonneGC: Itzulia Basque CountryStage 5: Itzulia Basque CountryStage 2: Itzulia Basque CountryStage 1 ITT: Itzulia Basque CountryFaun-Ardche ClassicStage 2: Volta ao AlgarveLast five results15th: World Championship Elite Men Road Race3rd: World Championship Elite Men Individual Time-Trial2nd: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral17th: Grand Prix Cyclist de Quebec4th overall: Tour de FranceBest result in Il Lombardia7th: 2025Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5)Tim de Waele/Getty Images)Second has been the name of the game as of late for Pinarello 36.5s Tom Pidcock. The Brit finished behind Davide Piganzoli at the Giro dellEmilia and Jarno Widar at Tre Valli Varesine. His wins this season have mostly come either from winning a small group sprint or launching a solo attack, and the parcours at Il Lombardia suits him. He was certainly one of the strongest at Worlds, and has a great shot at claiming his first Monument.Road victories this seasonGP Industria & ArtigianatoAndorra MoraBanc ClssicaStage 3: Tour of the AlpsMilano-TorinoStage 5: Vuelta a AndaluciaLast five results2nd: Tre Valli Varesine18th: Coppa Agostoni Giro delle Brianze2nd: Giro dellEmilia7th: World Championship Elite Men Road Race6th: Grand Prix Cycliste de MontralBest result in Il Lombardia6th: 2025Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek)A.S.O. Germany/Marcel HilgerAnother man that knows a lot about almost, Giulio Ciccone has had a slew of second places this year including at the recent European Championships. The Italian launched his sprint against Evenepoel and almost won but was defeated by the tightest of photofinishes. He suffered a similar fate at the Vuelta a Burgos when beaten by Oscar Onley, and again by Evenepoel at the GP Qubec.Ciccone is yet to record a win this season out of mountains classifications and this is set to be his final race for Lidl-Trek. Victory in a Monument would be a welcome goodbye gift. He is clearly in form and has previously podiumed at Il Lombardia with a third place in 2024.Lidl-Trek also bring another strong option in Quinn Simmons. The American has notched fourth place in his last three races finished in the GP Montral, World Championshipa Road Race and Tre Valli Varesine, and will almost certainly be on the offensive again here.Road victories this seasonN/ALast five results2nd: European Championships Elite Men Road Race9th: World Championships Elite Men Road Race7th: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral2nd: Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec53rd: Stage 3, Lidl Deutschland TourBest result in Il Lombardia3rd: 2024Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)A.S.O./Billy CeustersBen Healy has had a couple of top ten finishes lately in the GP Montral, World Championship Road Race and Giro dellEmilia, however he is uncharacteristically yet to notch a win in 2026. Thats not for a lack of trying. Hes been involved in plenty a breakaway throughout the year, notably at the Tour de France, and has also had to work through some back luck, spending time out injured.Lige-Bastogne-Lige has been his most successful Monument, with a third and fourth place to his name; his highest finish in Il Lombardia was 30th in 2023. Healy will be working alongside EF Education-EasyPost teammates Richard Carapaz and Alex Baudin.Road victories this seasonN/ALast five results20th: Tre Valli Varesine6th: Giro dellEmilia10th: World Championships Elite Men Road Race8th: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral26th: Grand Prix Cycliste de QuebecBest result in Il Lombardia30th: 2023Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)A.S.O./Thomas MaheuxVisma-Lease a Bike bring Matteo Jorgenson to Il Lombardia fresh off some decent results in the one-day races. He only has one Classic victory to his name from Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2023, however a spate of solid results has reiterated his competency over one-day hilly parcours and fast finishes with fifth place in the Giro dellEmilia and a podium at Tre Valli Varesine.That Giro dellEmilia result was a brilliant team display, with Davide Piganzoli taking the victory and British rider Ben Tulett in fourth.Road victories this seasonStage 1 TTT, Tour de FranceStage 3 TTT, Tour Auvergne Rhne-AlpesLast five results3rd: Tre Valli Varesine5th: Giro dellEmilia8th: World Championships Elite Men Road Race19th: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral8th: Grand Prix Cycliste de QuebecBest result at Il Lombardia23rd: 2023Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana)A.S.O./Aurlien VialatteExcellent in hilly one-day races, XDS Astanas Christian Scaroni has been on fire in Italy as of late. Second at the GP Industria & Artigianato, third at the Giro della Toscana, fourth at Coppa Sabatiniand seventh at Tre Valli Varesine, he is always one to watch out for and should place higher than his 15th in 2025.Hes no doubt still riding high from his bronze medal in the European Championships road race too.Road victories this seasonGC, Tour of OmanStage 5, Tour of OmanClassics Cam de MorvedreLast five results7th: Tre Valli Varesine3rd: European Championships Elite Men Road Race18th: World Championships Elite Men Road Race47th: Memorial Marco Pantani4th: Coppa SabatiniBest result at Il Lombardia15th: 2025Other contenders to watchTwila Federica Muzzi / Red Bull Content PoolThis is the first race in 2026 that will see Primo Rogli and Evenepoel in the same Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe squad. Newly crowned European ITT Champion Rogli could an intriguing card to play with more eyes on the European Road Race Champion. Elsewhere, Oscar Onley just finished third at Giro dellEmilia, and Michael Matthews has exploded into a run of good form. After sixth place in Quebec, he scored a silver medal at Worlds, though even with those climbing legs Lombardia should be a step too far. Theres also the Lotto Intermarch duo of Lennert van Eetvelt and Jarno Widar to look out for. Van Eetvelt recently claimed two stages and the overall at Tour de Slovaquie and rookie Widar impressively won Tre Valli Varesine in a sprint against Pidcock and Jorgenson.The post Il Lombardia 2026: Our form guide appeared first on Cyclist.