Milan-San Remo 2014

The road

At the start

A reprieve for the sprinters

Milan wakes to rain in the forecast, and the fast men have been handed a stay of execution: the Pompeiana, the new climb meant to break their hold on this race, was struck from the route weeks ago, so the old Cipressa-and-Poggio finale stands one more time. Gerald Ciolek defends the title he took in last year's snow; Cavendish and Kristoff come for the sprint, Cancellara and Nibali for the capi.

How it was won

1. 1151 km to go

   Hail on the Turchino

   The long drag up from the Lombardy plain turns vicious: a hailstorm sweeps the race and the temperature drops to five degrees. Seven men are still up the road, soaked through and riding for their teammates rather than themselves.

2. 270 km to go

   The break starts to break

   Approaching the second feed zone with 70km left, the escape is down to five. Boem has cramped and been dropped, Haas punctures and sits up. After five hours in the rain the average is still over 42km/h.

3. 353 km to go

   Capo Mele and the first real climb

   The road finally tilts on the Ligurian coast and the gap tumbles to six minutes. Behind, the cold is picking off sprint trains one by one — Omega Pharma-QuickStep are losing men, though Cavendish is still there.

4. 422 km to go

   Nibali goes on the Cipressa

   Cannondale string the bunch out on the climb and riders spill off the back. Over the top Nibali slips away on the wet, winding descent, catching and passing the last survivor of the break as if he were standing still.

5. 515 km to go

   Forty-nine seconds

   With 15km to go the Sicilian's lead peaks at 49 seconds and only Tjallingii dares try to bridge. Then Sky come to the front for Boasson Hagen, Lotto pile in behind, and the gap begins to fall away.

6. 66 km to go

   The Poggio swallows Nibali

   He starts the climb with 13 seconds and is caught with 9km to go. Cancellara counters instantly, Rast and Battaglin scrap clear, Gilbert has a dig — and every move is reeled in by the top. Nordhaug and Van Avermaet throw themselves down the treacherous descent, and still nothing sticks: it will be a sprint.

7. 7At the line

   Kristoff comes off Paolini's wheel

   Katusha take the race to the kilometre banner, Gilbert opens up on the left and Cavendish launches his own. But Paolini's lead-out is perfect and Alexander Kristoff simply rides away in the last hundred metres, the first Norwegian to win La Classicissima.

The result