Tadej Pogačar raced towards the off-season with speed and power at Il Lombardia, keen to win again, secure a fourth consecutive victory and keen to celebrate the end of another incredible season.
He savoured the podium ceremony, waved to the fans and spoke to the media but finished his post-race duties as quickly as he finished off his opposition. He seemed happiest when he rode through the streets of Como to his UAE Team Emirates team bus, his 2024 season finally done.
Pogačar joined Fausto Coppi as a four-time winner and again drew Merckxian comparisons and praise for his domination. But he has little interest in all of that. He just wanted to win and bring the curtain down on the year, as he started in early March, with a solo victory at Strade Bianche.
'I finished the season as I started it and with the same celebration. I hope it was a nice photo," Pogačar joked, recalling his similar celebrations after an 80km attack in Tuscany.
"Every victory has its own story, its own emotions, but I think this year, on top of them all is the World Championships. It's hard to beat that one."
At Il Lombardia, he surged away on the Colma di Sormano with 48km to race. He looked back once and then was never seen again. In Como, he finished 3:16 ahead of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and 4:31 ahead of Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek).
Pogačar refuted he is somehow killing cycling with his dominance, citing the cheers of the Lombardy crowds as his leading witness.
"I don't see anybody saying that today along the road, I just saw so many happy fans," he said.
"It was beautiful to race 255 kilometres, with all the people on the side of the road cheering for me and for everybody. That's the nice thing. You can always find some people on the internet with negativity but I don't see that happen out there on the road, that's what matters.
"I just live in the moment. Now I want to go on vacation and just rest after this nice season and go into the next season, with new goals, and new challenges.
"There are other things in life to look forward to, not just winning and racing. There's also life off the bike. I'm looking forward to that now."
