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Posted

13:48:25 CET

 

The escapees reach the summit of the Turchino with a lead of five minutes over the peloton. This is more or less the midway point of the race, but also a rather symbolic moment. In popular the popular imagination, at least, the Turchino marks the boundary between the frigid air of the northern Italian plain and the sunshine of the Riviera, the threshold between winter and spring. I'm not sure if they can appreciate that symbolism out on the road right now - the rain is still cascading out of a leaden sky as they begin the descent, with temperatures still in single digits.

Posted

It's now five years since Fabian Cancellara last completed a monument classic without finishing on the podium. His 17th place in the 2010 Milan-San Remo has been followed a remarkable sequence of placings. He won the Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix double that spring, then finished 2nd at San Remo and Roubaix, and 3rd in Flanders the following year. Cancellara crashed out of the 2012 Tour of Flanders, two weeks after finishing 2nd at Milan-San Remo. In 2013, he claimed another Flanders-Roubaix double and third place at Milan-San Remo, while last year, he won again in Flanders, took second in San Remo and third in Roubaix. Easy to see why his Trek team is setting the tempo at the head of the peloton....

Posted

That Cancellara sequence also highlights a sad reality of modern cycling, however. He hasn't ridden the Tour of Lombardy or Liege-Bastogne-Liege at all in that time. Indeed, the demise of the old World Cup in 2004 has contributed massively to the increased division between cobbled and Ardennes Classics - which means we ought to savour Milan-San Remo all the more. This is the only classic this spring, for instance, where Philippe Gilbert and Cancellara will line up against one another.

Posted

14:06:12 CET

 

The rain is still tumbling quite heavily as the bunch drops towards Voltri. One senses that dressing for the occasion and eating properly will be even more important than usual today. Tuttobici had some words of wisdom on that topic from Luca Paolini (Katusha), who was, of course, the Andrea Pirlo-esque assist-man for Bettini in 2003 and Kristoff last year. Paolini said that he ate half a kilo of pasta last night and more again this morning, stressing the importance of loading up on carbohydrates. "For the race itself, I've got a mixture of gels and solid food. It depends on the weather - sometimes the cold prevents you from eating properly," said Paolini - who, lest we forget, also finished on the podium in 2006 and was part of the winning break in 2013. "Kristoff is our sole leader but if a group goes away in the finale, I could be there too."

Posted

14:24:30 CET

The combined efforts of Trek, Katusha, Lampre and Tinkoff-Saxo continue to chip away at the break's lead. Their advantate is down to 4:15 as they reach Varazze. The average speed after four hours is just over 42kph.

Posted

So you are saying no more updates for poor plebs sitting at work?

You're stuck at work on a Sunday? Eish ok, for you I will keep posting updates.

Posted

14:45:00 CET

 

The lead to the break has moved back out to five full minutes as we see Barta, Peron and Kurek swap quick but determined turns on the front. It might be drying out near the finish but the riders out on the course are still having to contend with wet conditions as we dip inside the final 100km of action. Tinkoff currently lead the chase for the peloton with Peter Sagan neatly tucked in near the front.

Posted

Almost the full teams of Tinkoff-Saxo and Katusha have been on the front for a while now.

 

Shows they both mean business today. This title is a major goal for both this year.

Posted

15:06:01 CET

Into the final 85km of action and a few riders are starting to take off their rain jackets. Will that prove to be little premature with some of the pack suffering from the cold conditions? The pace continues to be steady but hardly frantic as the break pushes out to 5'11 clear of the peloton.

Posted

MTNQ in the break

Lekka!

Hopefully the other teammates can sit back in the main bunch, rest their bones and contend the finale

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