Tadei Pogachar missed out on victory at the Giro delle Miglia, but the Il Lombardia champion said he is in much better shape than he was last fall.

Enric Mas was the strongest man on the San Luca escarpment, leaving Pogachar in the dust as Movistar ran to victory. A week after Il Lombardia, it was the Spaniard who looked to be in the best shape, but Pogachar, who retired in the same race a year ago, was not worried.

"Compared to last year, this race is much, much better," Pogachar told CyclingPro after the race, comparing his form in the preliminaries to Il Lombardia the past two seasons.

"So I'm happy with my form in this particular race. I'm looking forward to Wednesday and next Saturday."

He will take on Tre Valli Varesine midweek, and next Saturday he will close out the season with the final monument of the season. In addition to a rematch with Mas, he will face retirements Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde, as well as top riders like Julian Alaphilippe, Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard, and Adam and Simon Yates.

Pogachar benefited from a strong UAE Team Emirates team at the Giro de Emilia, with Rafau Mayka and Diego Ulissi controlling the race on the final circuit around Bologna.

He and Mas jumped out of the elite group on the final climb of Saint Luca, with Mas tormenting the double Tour de France champion at the top.

"The team believed in me and I'm really grateful," he said. But Enric was much stronger on the last climb. I'm happy with the result."

"I have to admit he was better. It was a really great race and a great finish.

"Last year I won at Lombardia. It was a different course. This year I want to go into the last race of the season with the same mentality."