Slovenian star rider Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) wrapped up a stellar season by winning the Giro di Lombardia for the record-equalling fourth straight time. He has racked up 25 wins this season, including the triple crown.

The 26-year-old star attacked during the Colma di Sormano climb with 48 kilometres to go after his team regathered themselves and closed down a four-minute gap the breakaway managed to achieve. Most experts and rivals expected him to launch an attack there and away he went with no one able to match his numbers.

He then went on to build up such a buffer that he had no problems cruising up and down until the finish line. Once he crossed it, he raised his bike above his head in celebration.

The Slovenian has matched cycling great Fausto Coppi's record of four straight victories at one of the Monuments, five classics generally considered to be the oldest, hardest, longest and most prestigious one-day races in men's road cycling. Coppi's record in the 1946-1949 period was also set at Il Lombardia, the race of the falling leaves.

The Slovenian has currently seven Monument victories, which is the most among active riders.

This is Pogačar's 88th career victory and the seventh win in his last eight starts.

This year alone, he won nine out of a total of eleven races, leaving only Milano-Sanremo and the Grand Prix of Quebec winless.

Asked whether this is now "business as usual" for him, he said: "Every victory is special, and so is today's. The team worked so hard all year for all the victories we achieved, and today is no different. It was a big day for us, a long race, a hard race, and it all depended on our team. I think we did a super good job, and I'm super happy to win for and with the team."

Belgian star Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) finished second, three minutes and 16 seconds behind Pogačar, and the third-placed in the 255km race from Bergamo to Como was Italy's very own Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), with a gap of four minutes and 31 seconds.

Feeling under the weather, another Slovenian rider, Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike), missed out on the race, while Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) decided to end the season already earlier this week. Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) was one of the driving forces of the 21-strong breakaway, but in the end he did not have any reserves left to fight for a podium place.

This season, Pogačar has become only the third male rider in history to win the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championship road race in one season. The feat was also achieved by Dutch female rider Annemiek van Vleuten in 2022.

Pogačar then continued to add to his outstanding palmares by winning the Giro dell'Emilia in a blistering rain last weekend.