Struggling to eat during the six-hour race at Il Lombardia, 23-year-old Renate van Eotveld (Lotto Destony) overcame cramps to finish seventh in her second Monument appearance.

The Belgian was completely exhausted at the finish line in Como and lay on the pavement to recover from his out-of-gas condition.

Eventually, race winner Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked alone, leaving the rest of the field behind, and he was happy to have made it through the final 48 km without completely succumbing.

“I'm happy to be here and happy to have finished the race. I've said it before, I didn't have my best legs today,” Van Eotveld told reporters at the finish line.

“I was really surprised and really scared on the last climb. The last climb was really scary and my legs almost cramped up.

Van Eotveldt, racing for the first time since retiring from the Vuelta a España with breathing problems, was in contention for the podium with Lemko Evenpole (Sudar-Quick Step) and Enric Mas (Movistar) after crossing the Colma di Solmano alone.

However, he was not able to finish in the podium.

At this point, however, the lack of food took its toll, and Van Eotveld struggled, barely able to assist his compatriot and Mas in their pursuit of Pogachar.

“From the start of the race I knew it wasn't going to be my best day. I was a little nauseous and it was hard to eat, so I couldn't eat much,” the Belgian revealed.

“After three or four hours it would still be fine, but after five or six hours I really felt that way, and I was going to pace myself on the climb and then see what happened.

“But when Tadej went, I tried to keep up with Lemko, for myself and for the people at home.

On reflection, Van Etveldt's comment was tinged with regret for trying to follow Evenpole for so long and for not going at his own pace. As a result, he was caught by Pavel Sivakov (UAE Team Emirates), Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) on the descent to Como and finished in 7th place.

“I was surprised that I was able to stay with Lemko in Colma di Solmano. In retrospect, it wasn't my best day, so maybe it wasn't the best idea to try it,” Van Eotveld told local broadcaster Sporza.

“I wanted to run with Lemko, but I was fighting cramps and was actually surprised I was there. I was really at my limit. I was thinking about the podium. [After winning the overall at the UAE Tour and finishing 11th at Strade Bianche, he was sidelined for more than three months due to knee surgery and contact with a car during training. He then made a full recovery, finishing third in San Sebastian.

With this seventh place at Lombardia, Van Yetveld ended the European season on a high note.

“We had a lot of ups and downs, but I am happy with the way we finished the season. I didn't race for a month before Lombardia. I hadn't raced for a month before Lombardia, so I'm still reasonably fresh at the end of the year.”