Isaac del Toro said on the eve of Il Lombardia that his knee was "going ok" and he had had no real discomfort that day. He is considered a favourite on Saturday, with Tadej Pogačar absent after a broken collarbone suffered at the Vuelta a España.

Del Toro cannot say where the knee problem comes from. «I don't know why. After the travel I started to have some trouble» He told Eurosport that it has affected his performance since the Worlds. At the Gran Piemonte start he said it hurt "a little bit". He still attacked about 18 km from the finish with Finn Fisher-Black, was caught about 1.5 km out and finished 82nd. His own description fits that: «When I stand up it's not a big deal, it's when I'm in the saddle. So it kind of helps to attack» Il Lombardia 2026 runs 239 km from Bergamo to Como with nine climbs. He also named the uncertainty himself: «I don't know, I'm kind of nervous,. But if the body is going good, I'm happy.»

With Pogačar out, Del Toro is the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader at Il Lombardia, and Brandon McNulty is co-leader alongside him.

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