Pogačar has an heir at Il Lombardia: 20-year-old Seixas wins as Enric Mas surprises in second

Paul Seixas has won Il Lombardia 2026 with an impressive solo victory at the age of 20. The Frenchman attacked in Civiglio, left all his rivals behind, and claimed his first Monument in a day that also featured Enric Mas. The Spaniard made a great comeback in the final kilometers to finish second, ahead of Giulio Ciccone, while Tom Pidcock and Remco Evenepoel completed the top five positions.

The 120th edition of Il Lombardia, contested over 239 kilometers between Bergamo and Como, has crowned a new winner after five years of dominance by Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian, absent due to injury, had won all editions since 2021, but his absence did not detract from the spectacle of the last Monument of the season.

Seixas crushes the race in Civiglio, wins his first Monument, and becomes the youngest cyclist to win Lombardia

The race began with a protest from the cyclists demanding greater safety measures following serious incidents that recently occurred in competition. Remco Evenepoel spoke before the peloton finally started the race with a delay.

Once the race was on, a large breakaway of 14 riders featured prominently throughout the day. Among its members were Ben O'Connor, Antonio Tiberi, George Bennett, Victor Campenaerts, and Julien Bernard. However, the teams of the main favorites kept the gap under control during the ride through the mountains of Lombardy.

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The final selection came on the last circuit in Como. After an initial ascent to San Fermo della Battaglia, the peloton faced Civiglio, a climb of 4.2 kilometers with an average gradient of 9.7%, which ended up being the scene of the winning attack.

Paul Seixas accelerated strongly and quickly put Remco Evenepoel, one of the top favorites, in trouble. The Belgian could not respond to the change of pace and lost contact with the best, while Tom Pidcock and Giulio Ciccone tried to stay with the Frenchman.

But Seixas had another gear. First, he dropped Pidcock and then Ciccone to ride completely alone, opening a gap that his pursuers would not be able to close.

Enric Mas makes a great comeback to finish second

Behind the Frenchman appeared one of the day's main protagonists. Enric Mas went from bad to good in the ascent to Civiglio, recovering positions until he caught up with Giulio Ciccone in pursuit of the leader.

Both crested with about half a minute disadvantage to Seixas, but the Frenchman maintained his lead on the descent and reached the final climb of San Fermo della Battaglia with victory practically assured.

It was precisely on that final ascent where Mas launched his last attack. The Movistar rider accelerated, dropped Ciccone, and secured a second position of enormous value in one of the most demanding Monuments on the calendar.

In front, Seixas completed the last kilometers without showing signs of weakness and crossed the finish line in Como solo to celebrate the most important victory of his still short career.

At just 20 years old, the Frenchman adds his first Monument to a season in which he had already won the Itzulia and the Fleche Wallonne, confirming his status as one of the greatest talents in international cycling.

Ciccone finished third, while Tom Pidcock took fourth place and Remco Evenepoel rounded out the top 5. The Belgian, second in the last two editions, could not take advantage of Pogačar's absence and once again missed out on victory in Lombardia.

Il Lombardia 2026 Results

1. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) – 5:49:28
2. Enric Mas (Movistar Team) – +48"
3. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) – +1:05
4. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – +1:20
5. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – +1:20
6. Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) – +1:20
7. Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) – +1:20
8. Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) – +1:20
9. Filippo Zana (Soudal Quick-Step) – +1:20
10. Mathys Rondel (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – +1:20

Seixas's victory ends five years of Pogačar's dominance and confirms the extraordinary potential of the young Frenchman, who now has one of cycling's five Monuments in his palmarès.

For Spanish cycling, Enric Mas's second place also represents one of the great results of the day, especially due to the way he managed to recover positions in the decisive kilometers.