Team NetApp-Endura had a day to forget in yesterday's Milan-Sanremo as the team failed to put a single rider in the top 50 of the race. With Jan Barta' long break being the only bright point, the team suffered in the cold conditions.

In yesterday’s 105th edition of the Italian cycling monument Milan-San Remo, the main field was severely depleted heading into the sprint, which 26-year-old Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha) of Norway won ahead of Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) and Ben Swift (Team Sky). From the very start and for nearly 250 kilometers, Czech pro Jan Barta of Team NetApp-Endura was part of a seven-man breakaway group, which was only caught 40 kilometers before the finish line.

“It was good that we were represented in the group and could show our potential. At the same time, the extreme weather conditions gave our guys a really tough time. This, of course, was true for all of the cyclists, but it was obvious that many of our guys had serious problems with the cold. We naturally aren’t pleased with the outcome, but everyone tried their best. Jan, in particular, rode a good race, but after 250 kilometers his energy also gave out right at the decisive point in the race,” Enrico Poitschke reported.

“We had hoped that we would have at least one or two guys in the last group of 40 cyclists, but that didn’t work out. We had really set our hopes on Bartosz Huzarski, but he was simply frozen to the bone. He could no longer move his hands or shift gears. Somehow all of our guys fell victim to the cold today. Even though we didn’t get the outcome we would have liked today, we are optimistic about the weeks to come,” Poitschke added.

Led by Jan Barta and Maarten Tjallingii (Belkin-Pro Cycling Team), today’s group of the day pulled away shortly after the official start of the race at Via della Chiesa Rossa in Milan. The ultimately seven lead riders were able to build up as much as a 10-minute lead en route towards the Mediterranean, across the Passo del Turchino and past Genoa.

Difficult external conditions with gusty winds and temperatures of around 10°C as well as the marathon distance of just under 300 kilometers took their toll on the group, which gradually became smaller and smaller. Around 40 kilometers before the finish line, on the ascent to the Capo Berta, Jan Barta could no longer keep up with the pace set by the three remaining escapees.

Just a short while later, shortly before the Cipressa, the Czech champion was finally caught by the field after nearly 250 kilometers at the peak of the race. There were even aggressive attacks on the Cipressa as well as on the following Poggio di San Remo, just six kilometers before the finish line. While all of these attacks ultimately failed, the field was severely depleted and the race was decided in a bunch sprint.