And at the end, the Germans win...
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John Degenkolb celebrates victory on the Via Roma after outsprinting Alexander Kristoff and Michael Matthews for victory (Pic: Sirotti)
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Geraint Thomas and Daniel Oss forged clear on the descent of the Cipressa. Thomas then attacked again on the Poggio but was caught on the descent (Pic: Sirotti)
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Degenkolb enjoys the spoils of victory on the podium (Pic: Sirotti)
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Vincenzo Nibali was in attacking form last year, but was dropped by the peloton this time out (Pic: Sirotti)
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The route for this year's race made for an exciting finale, but organisers RCS Sport's still have an ambition to include the Pompeiana climb (Pic: Sirotti)
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Could Mark Cavendish be off to pastures new? (Pic: Sirotti)
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Fabian Cancellara finished seventh, ending a run of 11 straight Monument podium finishes. Cancellara's dejection post-race was just as marked as when he finished second 12 months ago (Pic: Sirotti)
And at the end, the Germans win...
So the first monument of 2015 has been decided, and it’s gone to John Degenkolb, who became the fourth German winner of La Primavera after Rudi Altig, Erik Zabel and Gerald Ciolek.
Degenkolb’s sprint to victory on the Via Roma came after a packed finale of racing that saw Geraint Thomas make a bold break for victory, Mark Cavendish lose another chain, Luca Paolini play the part of a one-man fishing reel (just as well Katusha ride Shimano) and countless riders hit the deck including Philippe Gilbert, Rui Costa, Michal Kwiatkowski, Zdenek Stybar and the aforementioned Ciolek who showed his disgust by slamming his helmet into the Poggio’s tarmac.
But beyond that, what insights has La Primavera given into the rest of the Classics season? What have we gleaned from the first – and longest – Monument of the season? Read on for our thoughts and analysis of the 106th Milan-San Remo.