Milan-San Remo 2014
This year's Milan-San Remo looked like it could be the last real sprinter's race, before Mario Vegni and RCS Sport finally have their way and add the Pompeiana climb in between the Cipressa and the Poggio, making it much easier for the climbers to have a say. The change was scheduled for this year, but bad weather and subsequent landslides meant the organisers had to revert back to the traditional route.
Mark Cavendish was amongst those who protested against the route changes, and he was present this year, after initially stating he would skip the race. He, along with sprinters John Degenkolb and Andre Greipel, knew that it could well be their last chance to win the so-called 'sprinter's classic.' Cavendish of course had already won the race in 2009 ahead of Heinrich Haussler, but this year he would have to deal with the dangerous Peter Sagan.
The peloton was greeted with wet weather at the start of the day, it promised to be a long, cold day in the saddle. It wasn't for Jose Joaquin Rojas however, he crashed in the neutral zone, injuring his elbow. His race ended before it even began. A breakaway attacked at the gun, and David Millar was keen to get in it. He wasn't successful however, and a seven man move eventually got away.
Maarten Tjallingii (Belkin) was part of it, along with Marc De Maar (UnitedHealthcare), Jan Barta (NetApp-Endura), Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp), Matteo Bono (Lampre-Merida), Nicola Boem (Bardiani-CSF) and Antonio Parinello of Androni Giocattoli. Boem was the first man off the back of the breakaway, and was shortly followed by Nathan Haas.
On the first climbs of Milan-San Remo the sprinters remained in touch, but Cavendish's sprint train was steadily disintegrating. By the time the Cipressa was on the horizon, three men remained at the front, with Maarten Tjallingii being the strongest looking man. Bono was soon to be dropped, and with twenty five kilometres to go, as Cannondale lay down the pace, Vincenzo Nibali put in a big attack.
He caught and passed Bono, and then worked on alone after passing the next duo on the road. The peloton was working hard however, and seemed determined to contest a sprint finish. Atop the Poggio, Cavendish, Greipel, Sagan and Gerald Ciolek were still in the group. They worked hard to catch Nibali, and coming into the closing stages, it was Luca Paolini (Katusha) on the front, with teammate Alexander Kristoff on his wheel.
When the sprint opened up it was Sacha Modolo who went early, with Cavendish following. Fabian Cancellara was sprinting strongly, with Sagan completely out of the picture. However, it was Kristoff who came strongly up the centre of the peloton who took the fight to the race, and came out on top three bike lengths clear. It was Cancellara who finished second ahead of Ben Swift.
Mark Cavendish finished fifth, Ciolek ninth, and Sagan tenth. It was perhaps fitting that the last Milan-San Remo that would be a sprinter's race finished in a pure bunch sprint, before tradition is rudely interrupted next year.