Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) finished 33rd overall in Milan-San Remo yesterday, having won the race in 2006. Pozzato was caught out on the Cipressa climb and never quite managed to bridge the gap to the leading riders.

"The snow and the stop changed the race,” Pozzato said after the race, “but it's also important to point out that, at the end, the key riders were in the lead of the race battling for the victory.”

With regards to his own performance, Pozzato praised his teammates while pondering what might have been if he had managed to join the leaders.

“I have regrets, because I may have spent too much energy after the Cipressa downhill to close the gap to a little bunch of favourites. Without that effort, I think I could have had a chance to battle for a top result."

"My mates were fantastic! It was not so easy in the snow and in the cold, but they made huge efforts. Malori, who had also crashed this morning, made something outstanding on the Cipressa climb. I'm sorry I could not complete their work".

About Ciolek, Pozzato was convinced during the race that the German might be able to play a key role. "He was not in my group of favourites but, when I looked at him during the second part of the race, I understood he could be very competitive".