Crucial moment in the race? Strava caption by Ganna - who was fastest on the Poggio - says it all

Tom Pidcock, representing INEOS Grenadiers, seemed on his way to victory in Milan-San Remo with a strong attack in the final kilometer, but Mathieu van der Poel had other ideas. The other team leader of the British squad, Filippo Ganna, was the most unlucky rider of the day.

Julian Alaphilippe - who had a flat tire in the final kilometer but ultimately finished ninth - was also a nominee for that unfortunate accolade, but in the end, we give it to Ganna. The man from Verbania completed the Poggio alongside Tadej Pogacar, Van der Poel and Alberto Bettiol in 5 minutes and 31 seconds, but a malfunction after hitting a pothole on the descent meant Ganna’s chances were dashed.

At that moment, the INEOS Grenadiers rider was in fourth position, just behind teammate Pidcock. The Brit was the first to bridge forward, so the men from the British team could have played the rest of the race as a duo. The fact that Ganna's Strava file is captioned "🤬🤬🤬🤬" is therefore hardly surprising.

On Instagram, the Italian, who eventually finished fortieth, was more subdued. "Another beautiful and fast Milan-San Remo is in the books. The legs were there, although luck wasn't on my side, but that's cycling. Thank you to all my teammates for the great work today, and to everyone along the side of the road for the support. I hope to see you all again in 2025!"

Pidcock: "Hard to get everything right"

Pidcock provided a brief comment to Cyclingnews after being caught in the final kilometer. "I think it's a really difficult final to get right, because you essentially always need to be in the perfect position. In this scenario, what I did didn't really work out. But maybe in another year, then I could win. In this final, you just have to go with your instincts and that's kind of the best I can do. I'd love to come back and win some day."