BERGAMO — The peloton paid tribute to its departing riders at Il Lombardia on Saturday morning, forming a guard of honour in Bergamo for five men contesting the final race of their professional careers at the Italian Monument. Former winner Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek) led the farewells alongside Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ United), Odd Christian Eiking (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis).
Mollema, who won the race in 2019 and holds the most starts in the current peloton with 17, was honoured on stage during the team sign-on with a medal and framed plaque and will ride a special Netherlands-themed Trek for his farewell. "There's quite a lot going through my mind today, it's a special day, ending my career here in Lombardia, in a race that I won and that has given me a lot," the Dutchman told Rai at the start. "It's been a long journey, almost 20 years in professional cycling, and today is the last day, in a race I love. I've always loved to race in Italy, so I hope to enjoy it a bit, but it will also be a lot of suffering."
Colleagues lined the road with bikes held aloft to wave off the retirees in the traditional send-off at the start. Izagirre almost missed his final outing after a wrist injury threatened to curtail his farewell plans, but fought back to take the start for Cofidis for one last outing in Italy.
The tributes were slightly overshadowed at the start as a protest in the name of rider safety became the biggest talking point of the morning. The farewells mark the close of long careers at the final Monument of the 2026 season, an emotional start that follows Roglic's suggestion that Il Lombardia could be his final race.