Greig Leach

If a rider wants to avoid a sprint and still win Milano-Sanremo he has four choices. Go away on the Cipressa, yet no one could today. Go away on the climb of Poggio, again no one was able to drop enough of the peloton to avoid a sprint. Ride off the front on the tricky descent of the Poggio, and despite Pidcock's best efforts, no one was able to pull away from the equally skilled group behind him. So the final method is to catch everyone napping at the base of the descent and attack off the front. That is exactly what Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) was able to do with just two kilometers left to race. It is a tall order to make this kind of effort against the best in the world after racing for over 290 kilometers, but the Belgium seemed to have the legs to pull it off.