Roglic with famous player from Inter, Pogacar on Snoop Dogg, and Evenepoel in focus: all casually heading to Lombardy

Saturday marks the final Monument of the cycling year with the Tour of Lombardy. Primoz Roglic, Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel are the top favorites for the 'Race of the Falling Leaves', each preparing in their unique way for the race starting in Como.

First off, Roglic, who will be racing his last race for Jumbo-Visma on Saturday. After a successful stint with the Dutch team, the Slovenian is moving to the German team BORA-hansgrohe. This no doubt adds to his motivation for the Monument on Saturday. Two days before the Tour of Lombardy, the winner of the preparatory race Giro dell'Emilia posted a photo on Instagram with Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella.

The Italian soccer player held a signed pink jersey from the cyclist, while Roglic posed with a big smile and an Inter shirt from Barella in his hands. "It's always beautiful in Italy... Thank you, Nicolo," Jumbo-Visma's leader captioned his photo. Barella secured a 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Pogacar and Evenepoel train in the vicinity of Lombardy

Then there's Pogacar, who's always good for a fun post on social media. On Thursday, he recorded a video while cycling, featuring teammates Adam Yates and Rafal Majka, set to the beats of the song '2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted' by rappers 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. Both the Brit and the Pole seemed to enjoy the moment, laughing heartily.

Lastly, Evenepoel, in contrast to his Slovenian colleagues, hasn't participated in any preparatory races leading up to the Tour of Lombardy. Since his severe crash in the Italian race in 2022, the Belgian has a score to settle with the event, making him highly motivated year after year. Evenepoel posted a photo on his socials on Wednesday. "The final recon and training before Saturday's race. Heading to Lombardy!"