Milan-Sanremo has lost the first of its potential winners. An in-form Jose Joaquin Rojas who finished 4th overall in the recent Paris-Nice, has crashed in the early part of the race and elbow pain has forced to abandon the race.

After an excellent showing in the recent Paris-Nice where he got close to a stage win on the final stage and finished 4th overall, Jose Joaquin Rojas had big ambitions for this year's Milan-Sanremo. Unfortunately, he won't be able to capitalize on his good form as he has had to abandon the race.

Rojas crashed in the neutral zone and elbow pain has forced him to abandon the race. This is the second big setback for the Spaniard in 2014 as he fractured his wrist in the Tour Down Under and had to stay off the bike for several weeks while he recovered from his injuries.

With Rojas out, Movistar will focus on Francisco Ventoso and Juan Jose Lobato in a potential sprint finish. The duo showed good form when they finished 3rd and 4th in the recent GP Nobili.

Starting at 13.25 CET you can follow our live coverage of the race on CyclingQuotes.com/live. You can read our preview here.