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Tadej Pogačar made it 24 wins in 2024 in spectacular fashion Saturday with a solo blast to win the Giro dell’Emilia.
Racing in the world champion’s rainbow jersey for the first time since winning in Zürich last weekend, the UAE Team Emirates star pounced with about 38km to go to in the 215.3km race to drop an elite field in the 107th edition of the Italian classic.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) did not finish in a race contested in wet and cool conditions. Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) chased late but missed out on the podium.
“I must say mission accomplished. I am super happy to do it in this rainbow jersey, Pogačar said.
Emerging from the mist at 1:54 back to kick to second was Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), with Davide Piganzoli (Team Polti Kometa) out-kicking Michael Woods (Israel Premier Tech) for third on the podium.
Pogačar finally won the Emilia race, one of the few events he’s started without winning across his spectacular career. In three previous starts, he was second in 2022 and 2023, and posted a rare DNF in 2021.
“I must admit I felt really good. The first four days until Thursday was like nothing, and then I arrived here and I got all the kit, all the jerseys, and I felt a little bit the pressure,” he said.
“The first race in the rainbow jersey you need to prove again you are the best. I was under pressure to perform today but a good day in the end.”
Up next is the mid-week Tre Valli Varesine and Il Lombardia next weekend to close out his history-making season.
Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) won the women’s race earlier in the day, beating French duo Évita Muzic (FDJ-Suez) and Juliette Labous (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) by nine seconds. She kicked clear before the final climb and soloed to a dominant victory.
“It was a beautiful race, although after the cold I suffered at the Worlds in Zurich I would have liked some sunshine. For me it is always a pleasure to race and win in my country wearing the tricolore jersey. It always has a special flavour, I never get tired of it,” she said, referring to her Italian national champion’s jersey.
“Today I particularly wanted to win. These [the Giro dell’Emilia and then Simac Tour – ed.] are my last days with Lidl-Trek. Today was the last race with Ina in the team car. I want to close in the best possible way. And then there was Luca [Luca Guercilena,the team general manager] with us at the race. He clearly asked us to win, I couldn’t and didn’t want to disappoint him.”
Christening the jersey
Pogačar had been trying to win the race for several years but had an additional motivation Saturday due to the new rainbow jersey on his shoulders. He bided his time early on while six riders made the early break with 198km to go.
Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), Alessio Martinelli (VF Group – Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), José Ramón Muñiz (Team Petrolike), Ander Ganzabal (Euskaltel – Euskadi), Dmitri Peyskens (Bingoal WB) and Roberto González (Corratec-Vini Fantini) quickly gained over five minutes. However the race came back together with 47km remaining.
The peloton continued on towards the first of five ascents of the San Luca climb. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) made a tentative acceleration there with 38.5km remaining but was easily marked by Pogačar, who himself attacked with just under 38km remaining.
Jorgenson tried to hold him but soon cracked and was caught by the main bunch before the first crossing of the finish line soon afterwards.
Pogačar had 25 seconds there and rapidly gained time. He had 1:09 with 25km left and his advantage had soared to almost two minutes with 11km to go.
Lipowitz went away from the chase group on the penultimate lap but was ultimately reeled with just over a kilometer remaining.
Piganzoli drove forward with Woods and Pidcock close by. The later won the sprint for second, but the trio were 1:54 behind a dominant Pogačar. He appears in flying form heading towards Il Lombardia, the race he has won the past three years.
Number ☝️ for World Champion Tadej Pogacar in his brand new kit! #GirodellEmiliapic.twitter.com/R19zKiJLAa
— Domestique (@Domestique___) October 5, 2024
Longo Borghini triumphs in style
The women’s race was a more suspenseful one, with the outcome a lot less clear right until the end. It was considerably shorter at 113.8km and featured just two ascents of the finishing climb. These were located after over 100km of flat roads.
Marta Pavesi and Chiara Reghini (both Top Girls Fassa Bortolo) clipped away 43km from the finish and gained over two minutes, only to be caught on the first of those two ascents of the finishing climb.
With 6.5km to go Longo Borghini, Labous, Nienke Vinke (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) and Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) pushed ahead. Longo Borghini then pressed onwards, hitting the line well ahead.
Muzik and Labous were next home, with Urška Žigart (Liv AlUla Jayco) fourth.
“Of the four victories at Giro dell’Emilia, I think the first one was the most beautiful. [That’s] also because back in the day [2015 – ed.] I didn’t often win,” Longo Borghini said.
“Today’s was different, because usually everything is resolved in the final climb to San Luca, whereas today I managed to go alone on the descent. Then, seeing that the gap was big enough, I took the chance to ride straight to the finish.
“I love the Giro dell’Emilia, I think it is one of the most beautiful races, a true autumn classic. I am happy that the organisers took up my suggestion to make it more challenging. Putting a climb in the middle was impossible, so the double climb of San Luca was a winning choice.”
Elisa Longo Borghini vince il Giro dell’Emilia femminile con una grande azione solitaria ♂️#GirodellEmilia pic.twitter.com/q2CDbtYZnH
— FantaCycling (@Fanta_Cycling) October 5, 2024
