Mostly known for his stage race skills, Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) had made Il Lombardia his big goal in the final part of the year and showed classics potential by taking third.

“It’s a hard race but it’s a great race. Nibali was simply too strong for the rest of us today,” Pinot told Cyclingnews at the finish. “He was the strongest, the smartest and the sneakiest. He attacked at the right moment after bossing the race. He attacked several times on the climb and then attacked on the descent too. He got 200 metres on us and that was enough, it was race over for the rest of us.

“I’m proud of my place on the podium because Lombardia was a big goal of mine and I worked hard to be good here. To make it on the podium after such a hard, selective race against such good riders is a good day for me. I’m happy.

“I think I’ve had a good season. I won five races, a podium in a monumental Classic and a stage win at the Tour, so it’s been a good season."