The 20-year-old Brazilian delivered a spectacular solo ride to take the biggest victory of his career.
Henrique Bravo continued his impressive season with victory at Il Lombardia U23, attacking from distance and spending around 60 kilometers at the front before celebrating alone in Oggiono.
One of the most prestigious one-day races on the U23 calendar, the 98th edition of Il Lombardia featured 177 kilometers and a demanding parcours containing many of the climbs which have made this corner of Italy synonymous with cycling.
A large breakaway group animated the first part of the day and at one point held an advantage of more than three minutes over the peloton. With around 60 kilometers remaining, Henrique decided to take matters into his own hands, attacking from the bunch in pursuit of the leaders.
The 20-year-old was initially joined by Alessandro Cattani, before Benjamin Benz also made his way across. Henrique continued to push the pace and eventually succeeded in bridging across to the front of the race.
Having already invested considerable energy in the chase, the Brazilian showed his strength once again on the Colle Brianza. With 22 kilometers remaining, Henrique left his rivals behind and set off alone towards Oggiono.
He maintained his advantage over the final climb of Marconaga di Ello and the fast descent towards the finish, entering the closing kilometers alone and having plenty of time to celebrate another memorable victory.
Henrique crossed the line 55 seconds ahead of Otto Schultz Jølving, with Matteo Scalco completing the podium at 1:05.
After the race Bravo said “I’m very happy to win this race. It’s such a nice race on the calendar, so I’m really happy with the result and also with the way I rode. It’s incredible that I could pull it off from such a long distance, catching the guys from the break and then attacking again. I’m just very happy, and I want to thank the team for everything.”
It also marks Soudal Quick-Step Devo’s second victory at Il Lombardia U23 in four years, following William Junior Lecerf’s success in 2023.
