The start of Il Lombardia 2025 saw a series of heartfelt send-offs on Saturday morning in Como, as the peloton said goodbye to the riders who were pinning on a number for the final time at the race of the falling leaves.
Rafał Majka (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Pieter Serry (Soudal-QuickStep), Salvatore Puccio (Ineos Grenadiers), Simone Petilli and Louis Meintjes (both Intermarché-Wanty) are all hanging up their racing wheels at the end of this season, and were honoured on Saturday morning.
The organisers of Il Lombardia gave all of the retiring riders sashes and leaf crowns to wear on the podium as they were all given a special moment during sign on.
Before the race began, the peloton lined up in a now-traditional guard of honour, making a tunnel of bikes for the veteran riders to walk down before starting their final race as professionals.
Though it's their final day of racing and the start may have been a moment of celebration, the retiring riders still have a job to do.
Rafał Majka is in northern Italy to try to help his teammate Tadej Pogačar win a historic fifth-consecutive Lombardia title, whilst Pieter Serry is part of a Soudal-QuickStep team that is hoping Remco Evenepoel can be the one to challenge the imperious world champion.
Majka is saying goodbye after a long career that started in 2011 and has seen him become one of the most respected and successful domestiques in the peloton, playing a particularly key role in several of Pogačar's major victories.
Serry also turned professional in 2011, and has also spent his career as a committed domestique, ending his racing years without an individual pro win to his name, but having played a part in many of Soudal-QuickStep's victories.
Italy's Salvatore Puccio is enjoying a home send-off – though some way away from his home in Sicily – but Ineos Grenadiers will be looking for opportunities for Egan Bernal, Thymen Arensman and Filippo Ganna on Saturday.
South Africa's Louis Meintjes is yet to officially announce his retirement after floating the idea during the season, but his part in the farewells in Como confirmed that this is the end of his career after a long tenure as one of Africa's foremost professional riders.
The youngest of the retirees is Simone Petilli, only 32, who decided to hang up his wheels after achieving everything he wanted to in cycling, including racing the Giro d'Italia five times.
