Taddei Pogachar started the offseason with speed and power at Il Lombardia.

He enjoyed the podium ceremony, waved to fans, and spoke to the media. He looked supremely happy as he drove through the streets of Como and boarded the UAE Team Emirates team bus.

Pogachar was a four-time champion alongside Fausto Coppi, and was once again compared to and praised by Melkshan for his dominance. But he had little interest in all of that; he just wanted to win and end the year as he began with a solo victory at Strade Bianche in early March.

“I ended the season the same way I started it, with the same celebration. Remembering the same celebration after the 80 km attack in Tuscany,” Pogachar joked.

“Every victory has its own story, its own emotion. It's hard to beat that one.”

At Il Lombardia, he surged ahead at Colma di Sormano with 48 km to go. He looked back only once and was never seen again. In Como, he was 3:16 ahead of Remco Evenpole (Soudal-Quick Step) and 4:31 ahead of Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek).

Pogachar countered that he was killing cycling by dominating, citing the cheers of the Lombardia crowd as his main witness.

“I didn't see anyone saying that along the roadside today.

“It was beautiful to see people along the way cheering for me and everyone else for the 255 kilometer race. That's great. Some people say negative things on the internet, but on the road it doesn't happen.

“I'm living in the moment. I'm on vacation right now and I want to finish this good season, rest up, and go into the next season.

“There are other things in life to look forward to, not just winning and racing. There is life outside of cycling. That's what I'm looking forward to right now.”