Greg Van Avermaet was prominent in the finale of Milan-Sanremo. He was the first rider to finish the descent from Poggio. "But the rest was in my wheel." Van Avermaet was finally 19th. Philippe Gilbert crashed on the Poggio descent and apologizes to the riders who went down behind himl: "Sport can be cruel."

With Gilbert and Van Avermaet, BMC had two captains."Philippe tried on the Poggio, but did not get away. After that, I found the right moment. I made a gap, but was almost brought back at the top," Van Avermaet told Sporza.

"I just reached Thomas at the top, but the gap behind me was almost closed. I tried to make a difference on the descent but everyone was on my wheel. Then you know that it is difficult."

Van Avermaet saw his chances vanish. "I was the first to come downt from Poggio and then I chose my position. It's a shame because I had a good feeling. More was possible."

Tactically BMC rode a strong race. "We had strength in numbers. After the Cipressa, we were still with five or six riders there and then Oss went on the attack. It was perfect."

Were the other riders stronger? "Faster, but not stronger. It is how it is but I would rather have finished a bit better."

Philippe Gilbert desperately wants to win in Sanremo before the end of his career. A crash on the descent of Poggio screwed up his chances this year: "I was on the wheel of Boasson Hagen, who took a turn badly and then I had no room," he told Sporza.

"The barrier got closer and I touched my brakes. My wheel blocked and I went straight to the ground. A lot of other riders went down too.

Physically, he is ok. "My neck has some pain due to the shock. I did not suffer any fractures or abrasions, but it will still take a few days to recover."

Stybar and Kwiatkowski crashed with Gilbert. "I rode with Stybar on the descent to Sanremo. And we agreed that we were in a good position in around tenth place. I had planned a counterattack on the flat, but that did not happen." In a later tweet, Gilbert apologized to the riders who crashed with him.