Pello Bilbao

I mean, I just can't get my head around it, really.

Y- yes, he was dominant at Itzulia, but the riders he beat, the podium was Lipovits and Johannesson, then Izaguirre, Champoussin, Bilbao, Romo, Arrieta, Bodart.

I mean, good quality riders, but not a Grand Tour, not a Tour de France-level field.

Uh, even Flèche Wallonne, you know, the absentees were significant.

We alluded to these riders last week, Ion Izagirre, who I think I said last week was m- maybe had a collarbone injury but was gonna ride anyway.

It was actually a wrist injury, but he did ride Lombardy at the weekend.

And his fellow Basque, Pello Bilbao, it was the last race for both of those ch- two chaps.

And Pello Bilbao indeed performed extremely well, finishing seventh.

All the best for your retirement, uh, Bauke.

Uh, beyond Mollema, there was a host of other riders who used Lombardy as their final competitive outing as pro riders: Ion Izagirre, Pello Bilbao, Odd Christian Eiking, and Rudi Molard, all of them very solid pros who enjoyed plenty of success through their careers.

And the same can be said for Damiano Caruso and Jakob Mosca, who called time on their careers at Gran Piemonte a few days previous to Lombardy.

Meanwhile, Tiffany Cromwell brought her career to a close on her home gravel roads here in Australia.

He wins the sprint ahead of McNulty, then Pidcock, who did everything he could to bring the podium back into play.

Bilbao in his last ever race.

Scaroni, Zama, Rondel, De Bruyne, Healy.

Healy attacked on the last turn of Ferma, but got brought back.

Like, it was not the best race of the season, but... oh i nearly choked on paul success's victory there but i um it was not the best race of the season but i did enjoy seeing like the when you're someone who watches cycling for let's say how long now like 16 years addictively then you see riders come and go and i've always found an absolute pleasure in seeing riders throughout their entire arch.

And for example, with Paul's success, we're now a year, two years, two years and a half into his story narrative, so to say.

On the other hand, we also have writers like Peo Bilbao, who I've... been a fan of the sport throughout the entire career of Peyo Bilbao and even riders before that.

And to see him finish in a top 10 in the last race of his career is fantastic, not just because I adore him on the bike, but also for his humanity of the bike.

There's also another name to mention as well, Bauke Mollema, former winner of the race, 2019, who will retire after Il Lombardia, so that's, uh ...

Obviously Bilbao as well, I think is going to retire unless he does Guangxi, which, uh, that would be some sendoff.

Uh, [laughs] um, so yeah, Bilbao, uh, Mollema g- is going to retire.

Um, anyone else do you see there who's going to retire? I don't think so.

No, I haven't taken a look at it, but it, it's always a, like, the, the classic race to kinda retire at.

Um, yeah, I haven't looked at it, I'll be honest.

Yeah.

M- Mollema and, uh, yeah, Bilbao, that's two serious riders sadly departing Peloton, so I would wish them the best, uh, for what comes next for them.