Pic by www.sirotti.it

Expected beforehand to do little more than ride for the experience, Team Columbia-Highroad’s Mark Cavendish stole Milan-San Remo with a stunning late charge to the finish line, overhauling late attacker Heinrich Haussler on the line.

Cavendish, winner of four stages of the 2008 Tour de France and in fine form coming out of the Tirreno Adriatico stage race, managed to hang on to the lead group over the lengthy climb of the Poggio, working his way back into contention on the descent to find team mate George Hincapie’s wheel for the final kilometre.

He was able to chase down Haussler when the Cervelo Test Team rider, hoping to lead out team mate Thor Hushovd, broke clear of the bunch in the last few hundred metres. Hushovd was unable to take his wheel, but a quick-thinking Cavendish countered with his own perfectly-timed run to win the 100th edition of la Primavera.