“Obviously it’s quite disappointing to get second – so close to the win,” he told the team website.

“That said I’ve got to be happy and I’m back on the podium in a Monument. I’m slowly chipping away. We’ve had a second, a third and we’ll keep on trying in the next few years.

“The team was brilliant today. We rode a great attacking race and we did what we wanted to do. When Ian went on the Cipressa it set it up perfectly. Then Michal went on the Poggio so we couldn’t have done it any better.

“I just tried to stay as relaxed as possible in the last kilometre and I tried to follow Jurgen Roelandts. Last year I think I stressed a little bit too much. This year I was a bit more relaxed. I was close to a crash at the finish there but it is what it is.”

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Dimension Data) was next to try his luck from long-range, and was still on the front as they hit the Via Roma.

Gaviria was also well placed, but a touch of wheels brought him down and disrupted the sprinting efforts of several others, including world champion Peter Sagan (Tinkoff).

It left Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Soudal) to lead out the sprint, while a mechanical denied Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis).

Bouhanni’s fellow Frenchman and former team-mate Demare had no such misfortune though, catching and passing the Belgian.

Swift was on his wheel, having swerved to avoid the crash, but could not get round Demare as he celebrated a maiden Monument win; Roelandts held on to take third.

Milan-San Remo 2016: result

1) Arnaud Demare (FRA) – FDJ – 6.54.45hrs
2) Ben Swift (GBR) – Team Sky – ST
3) Jurgen Roelandts (BEL) – Lotto-Soudal
4) Nacer Bouhanni (FRA) – Cofidis
5) Greg van Avermaet (BEL) – BMC Racing
6) Alexander Kristoff (NOR) – Katusha
7) Heinrich Haussler (AUS) – IAM Cycling
8) Filippo Pozzato (ITA) – SouthEast-Venezuela
9) Sonny Colbrelli (ITA) – Bardiani-CSF
10) Matteo Trentin (ITA) – Etixx-QuickStep