One of the longest one day races in cycling, the Milan San Remo is also one of the longest serving classics in the calendar. The capabilities of the sprinters these days to get over the late climbs the Cipressa and the Poggio Hills has led to the addition of the Le Manie about 100 kilometres from the finish. This along with the Capi climbs and the long shallow climb of the Turchino make up the climbing in this additional classic which in recent years seems to be favouring the punchier roulers.
The pre race talk seems to suggest with the widening of the descent from the Poggio (courtesy of roadworks supremo roturn!) that sprinters will be favoured on this route namely Tom Boonen
and Sam Bewley
with the latter a runner up here last year.
The most favoured Italian rider seems to be Filippo Pozzato
who has come under fire following a disappointing Paris Nice and a not too hot 2011 in the Continental Tour. Nonetheless the curly haired rider has won this race twice in the past so it seems to suit him.
We get a lot of early attacks today, teams looking to avoid having to do too much chase work on this long race.
Jure Kocjan
and Tom Diggle
are prominent in the early moves.
Also attacking early are: Michel Kreder Jonas Ljungblad Honorio Machado Julien El Fares Matthieu Ladagnous Domenik Klemme David Lelay Sebastien Einsle Carlos Betancourt Gianluca Coletta Michael Reihs Sergio Ghisalberti Edward King Dominique Rollin Gracjan Lejman
but with 17 riders clear the pack are not keen to let such a huge break, particularly with multiple Wikipedia riders getting clear.
It takes a while to establish a suitable breakaway and you get the impression the peloton still are not happy with a group of eight that forms particularly with Sergio Ghisalberti
still present.
The other seven are a mixture of some of the riders named above and some new riders. David Lelay Gianluca Coletta Michael Reihs Borut Bozic Jonas Ljungblad Troels Vinter
and Julien El Fares
Also just behind this group of eight Michel Kreder
bridges across. Ghiselberti is a strong climber and could be a threat but after 75 kilometres of attacking and chasing the pack settle down to allow this to be the break of the day. At the front it is Milka and Nestle who are forming a sort of alliance for the day.
The Vespa team seem to have been waiting for a break to settle and they launch two riders forward to attempt to bridge as Domenico Pozzovivo
and Andy Cappelle
go with Dan Holloway
in tow.
The three do bridge and noticeably the Vespa riders go straight to the front of the break and begin to push out the gap quickly with the help of Festina duo Ljungbald and Hollaway.
The break reaches the Turchino (150km to go) with a lead of eight minutes, with Ghiselberti and Pozzovivo here there is a good pace about this now 12 man breakaway.
Nestle and Milka start to feel the need to use their big hill climbers as domestiques here and it is Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver
who leads the peloton through the tunnel at the top of the Turchino climb.
Nerves are beginning to build up here as the breaks lead begins to push out to nine minutes with 125km to go. Clearly Nestle and Milka will need some help to get this 12 man break under control as we finish the descent of the Turchino Vesuvio jerseys begin to gather at the front.
Indeed the order goes up for the team in form to start to chase before we get to Le Manie and Vesuvio really commit here with a train of six riders leading things.
It is causing the gap to start falling and with 100km to go the gap is down to eight minutes. Still you would have to say with the relative strength of the breakaway it is quite a gap to pull back. However there is plenty of leg breaking climbs including this fairly new addition 'Le Manie' which the break now turn onto away from the coast.
As the pack move onto the climb it is Aleksandr Efimkin
doing the work, no question who is team leader for Milka then it is all in for sprinter Bewley.
The break have largely left the work to Vespa, Festina and Ghiselberti, that isn't out of laziness mind you it is more down to them being on the limit. Indeed Le Manie looks as though it may be the end of Troels Vinter
and Gianluca Coletta
But both manage to rejoin on the descent, as it is seems as Vespa's break plan may be faltering as the lead has come down to six minutes with 85km remaining.
We race on towards the the Capi climbs, the pack is in racing mode here and it is not the time for mistakes. Tom Diggle
falls and the domestique for Ponzi is out of the running.
Riders who are struggling with the distance and the pace begin to filter out of the pack including the likes of Paride Grillo Juan Abenhamar Gallego Martin
and Davide Appollonio
We are up to the Capi climbs and still the pack have not quite got this break under control with the gap a healthy 4.20 with 50 kilometres to go. The famous finale of the MIlan San Remo then Capo Mele, Cervo and Berti followed by the Cipressa and Poggio.
Milka and Nestle did much of the early work but recently it has been Ben Swift's Vesuvio team who have been most visable at the front riders like Dietmar Mehr-Wenige
and Johnny Hoogerland
drive it on the Capi's.
The toughest Capi climb the Capi Berta is also the last and finally time is called for Colleta and Vinter from the break.
As the pack move over the last of the Capi climbs one of the big punchaers suffers a puncture.
It's World champion Tejay Van Garderen
he is fortunate though as he gets a wheel and is able to rejoin quickly. He will though need to expend some energy to get back up to the front and indeed misses out on some action as we approach the Cipressa.
Philippe Gilbert
attacks!
He is followed as ever by Filippo Pozzato
and last years winner Alessandro Ballan
as well as Bacardi duo Gert Steegmans
and Marcus Burghardt
It is forcing the pace to the highest level here and they quickly reel in the dropped two from the break. The race situation with 26 km to go is
Lead 10 - - - - > Gilbert group at 1.12 - - - - > 123 man pack at 1.51.
The pack though led again by the excellent Aleksandr Efimkin
and Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver
neutralise the Gilbert/Bacardi/Pozzato/Ballan move on the early slopes of the Cipressa.
There is a calm in the chasing and the strong climbers in the break are not wasting the chance to build the breaks lead back up again as Domenico Pozzovivo Sergio Ghisalberti
and Jonas Ljungblad
puch on.
Indeed these three begin to move clear and open up the gap to the pack back up to 2 minutes.
Ljungbald grits his teeth as he struggles to hold and eventually he has to surrender near the top of the Cipressa climb.
It was always going to be dangerous with both Pozzovivo and Ghiselberti in the breakaway and now we are seeing the expected scenerio play out. The pressure continues to applied to the pack and numbers are beginning to be heavily reduced by the incessant fast pace by Efimkin who stringing it out.
Sprinters like Matthew Goss Juan Pablo Forero Óscar Guerao Jaime Alberto Castañeda Michael Van Stayen
and Óscar Avelino
are dropped. Also falling back though are some very decent punchaers including: Francesco Ginanni Patrik Sinkewitz Maurice Schreurs
The three punchaers and Goss do get back to just about rejoin the pack.
But the fact they are so far down at this late stage is not a good sign, there does not look like there is going to be any bunching up from here on in.
The break of our two leaders still hold a 1.30 lead with 15km to go, normally a climb like the Poggio you would say would put paid to their chances but the two climbers put time into the pack on the Cipressa so it may be an advantage.
Alessandro Ballan
senses this bridging to the break before the climb may be the move to make as he attacks solo.
It's a good move by Ballan as he manages to make it across to the lead duo before the Poggio, however with 10km left the lead is down to 45 seconds.
The lead has been reduced by a large number of teams coming to the front to ramp up the pace. Wiggle, Festina (with Ljungbald having been caught), Jack Wolfskin and Pearl Adidas chasing.
On the early slopes the Wiggle rider (Pavarin) moves back and it is Diego Ulissi
pulling hard ahead of Sylvain Chavanel
and Jan Bakelants
as they can see Ghiselberti's wheel.
Indeed the Webeffect rider begins to fade badly here, but the fresher Ballan continues to attack.
Pozzovivo, Ulissi and Bakelandts manage to keep up with last years winner, knowing if he is allowed the space he has the talent to win.
Behind it is time to spot the names as we know the golden rule if you are not in the top twenty on the Poggio then forget the chance of winning this.
From the front to back then: Sergio Ghisalberti Gert Steegmans Marcus Burghardt Tejay Van Garderen Filippo Pozzato Philippe Gilbert Aleksandr Efimkin Sylvain Chavanel Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver Enrico Franzoi Tom Boonen Marcello Pavarin Damiano Caruso
and Sam Bewley
Bewley and Boonan are just about hanging on here though a number of very decent punchaers and sprinters are missing. Just behind these riders is Jurgen Roelandts
who is desperately trying to claw his way back he moves past Chavenel, fading Nestle domestiques and dropping back for Ponzi Wiggle riders.
Sensing Ballan's power is not going to make it to the top of the Poggio, Ulissi decides to give it a solo dig towards the top.
As Ballan, Bakelandts and Pozzovivo are reeled in at the back the two sprinters are struggling to hang on, Bewley in particular looks out of gas.
Up front Ulissi has the bit between his teeth here, the young Italian can feel the history of the race as he comes down the Poggio with a 27 second lead.
30 seconds is reckoned to be enough at the top of the Poggio, but Ulissi is not the best descender and there are several fine descenders in a group of 13 behind.
Van Garderen leads them, with Gilbert, Bakelandts, Pozzovivo, Ballan, Burghardt, Steegmans. Pozzato, Boonan, Efimkin, Rodriguez, Bewley and Franzoi clear.
Behind this Wiggle are still desperately trying to move Ponzi forward with Roelandts and Boassen Hagen also in this chase group some 30 seconds behind the 13 in front.
As the descent finishes Ulissi's lead has narrowed to 18 seconds, the Festina rider is pretty good on the flat but again the riders behind are some of the best on the flat you can get.
The thirteen riders behind though are looking at each other, no-one wants to lead out the sprint for a likely Boonan win. You cannot blame Pozzato this time his teammate is in front.
They start to sprint as we reach the last kilometre, indeed Boonan begins to move to the front.
But once again an Italian punchaer has taken the win with a well timed move on the Poggio, a magnificent career defining moment for Ulissi.
The rest never really looked like reeling him in down the straight, the truth also is that Boonan simply had little left as he now fades with Steegmans, Gilbert and fantastically for Festina Pozzato come through.
Pozzato knows how to time his sprint to perfection and brings home a huge one two for Festina.
Steegmans takes his second career MSR podium with third ahead of Gilbert and Van Garderen.
Bakelandts perhaps disappointingly unable to join Ulissi on the Poggio has to settle for sixth ahead of a tired Boonan. Ballan is 8th, Burghardt 9th with Bewley rounding out the top ten.
Franzoi, Efimkin, Rodriguez and breakaway man Pozzovivo finish at the back of the leading group. Behind Hagen shows that with better positioning he would have been a contender sprinting to 15th ahead of Ponzi.
