Benoot and Kelderman animate Il Lombardia, but the result falls short
Kelderman was the first to make a move for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, joining a group of twelve riders. However, they were soon chased down by another large group. Shortly after, Benoot and his fellow attackers bridged across, forming a lead group of more than twenty riders.
For a long time, the breakaway’s advantage hovered around three minutes. But on the Colma di Sormano, things unraveled quickly. As the peloton reeled in the escapees, Kelderman and Benoot’s hopes were dashed. With 50 kilometers remaining, Tadej Pogačar launched a powerful attack, quickly building a commanding lead and finishing solo in Como. Meanwhile, Matteo Jorgenson had a tough day and withdrew in the final phase of the race.
“I had a fairly good day,” Benoot said after the finish. “At the start, I felt strong, but later in the race, I started having some stomach issues. We created a solid situation with a large breakaway, and the collaboration was decent. Everyone knew Pogačar would attack, but I believe a top result was still possible. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but we can’t blame ourselves for not trying. Now it’s time for a break before we shift focus to preparing for next season.”
“We can’t blame ourselves for not trying”
Tiesj Benoot
Sports director Marc Reef elaborated on the team’s strategy for the day. “With Tiesj and Wilco, we aimed to reach the top of the Sormano with a decent lead. Unfortunately, Pogačar’s team kept the gap small and had everything under control. We’re satisfied with how we raced, though. We executed our plan and fought hard. This race never lies, and Pogačar simply had the best legs. As a team, we gave it our all, but the result didn’t turn out as we had hoped,” Reef concluded.
Il Lombardia
One day race
Result
Result
1
Tadej Pogačar
UAE Team Emirates
06:04:58
2
Remco Evenepoel
Soudal Quick-Step
+00:03:16
3
Giulio Ciccone
Lidl – Trek
+00:04:31
21
Wilco Kelderman
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:07:58
46
Attila Valter
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:12:18
58
Tiesj Benoot
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:16:03
88
Steven Kruijswijk
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:20:01
93
Bart Lemmen
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:21:25
–
Jan Tratnik
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
DNF
–
Matteo Jorgenson
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
DNF
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Subjects
Cycling – World Tour men
Tiesj Benoot
Marc Reef
1
Il Lombardia
