Despite the quality of the racing yesterday, organisers RCS Sport seem determined to change the course in the coming seasons. The last two editions of the race were supposed to have the Pompeiana climb between the Cipressa and Poggio, but poor road conditions on the Pompeiana meant those plans were shelved.

While, in principle, we can all agree that keeping race routes fresh is a good idea, the need to continually meddle with routes is something organisers need to get a handle on. The change in the Flanders route to remove the Muur van Geraardsbergen robbed that race of one of its most iconic moments, and adding in more climbing to the finale of Milan-San Remo would change the race completely.

Part of the beauty of La Primavera is that everyone has a chance: sprinters, climbers, rouleurs, the finish is hilly enough that it won’t necessarily end in a bunch sprint, but flat enough that the pure sprinters won’t automatically get dropped. And, as yesterday showed, all-round riders like Geraint Thomas can still power up climbs like the Poggio with a chance of victory if they can get over the top with 20 seconds or so.

In fact, moving the finish back to the Via Roma and therefore slightly closer to the bottom of the Poggio, probably means that the chances of an escape victory are slightly higher with the course as it is now, closer to the historical version. Change isn’t always for the better, and let’s hope that any future revisions to La Primavera keep the balance of the race as it is. There are classics for every sort of rider, but few that strike such a perfect balance as Milan-San Remo.