Filippo Pozzato (Quick Step) has won Milan-San Remo. The Italian took a bunch sprint to win the 294-km classic in 6:29:40. Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) finished second, and Luca Paolini (Liquigas) took third.

The racing began early. At 27 km, Daniele Contrini (LPR), Unai Etxebarria (Euskaltel), Staf Scheirlinckx (Cofidis), Ludovic Auger (Francaise des Jeux), Kjell Carlstrom (Liquigas), Mirko Allegrini and Sergei Matveyev (both from Panaria), and Giampaolo Cheula (Barloworld) attacked. The octet ran up a 10:30 lead by 95 km.

Quick Step began to chase, and eventually, Milram and Credit Agricole took over at the front. With 52 km remaining, the break?s advantage was down to 3:00.

With 50 km left, Allegrini attacked and Etxebarria joined him. Eighteen km later, the leaders had 0:15 on the bunch, which had just absorbed the other six members of the break. Five km later, at the base of the Cipressa, the gruppo was compatto.

Peter Wrolich (Gerolsteiner) attacked, Stefano Garzelli (Liquigas) joined him. Wrolich?s teammate Andrea Moletta countered, and Frank Schleck (CSC) followed. Schleck was dropped, but Kurt-Asle Arvesen (CSC), Luca Mazzanti (Panaria), and Pozzato caught Moletta. Pozzato led Quick Steppers Paolo Bettini and Tom Boonen up the ascent, and the bunch was reduced to perhaps 70 riders.

At the base of the descent, Koos Moerenhout (Phonak) attacked, and Guido Trenti (Quick Step), Schleck, and Vicente Reynes (Caisse d?Epargne) followed. Clearly, Trenti was policing the break for Boonen. Nonetheless, the quartet led the bunch by 0:25 with 15 km remaining.

Milram, Lampre, and Gerolsteiner, which were not represented in the break, chased. At the base of the Poggio, the day?s final climb, the bunch led the break by 0:18. Rabobank powered to the front. With eight km left, Schleck attacked his companions and led them by 0:10 with seven km remaining. The peloton was at 0:15.

Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) attacked, and Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) and Pozzato joined him.  Rinaldo Nocentini (Acqua & Sapone), Samuel Sanchez (Eusakaltel), and Schleck got across. At the base of the descent (291 km), the sextet led the Milram-led field by 0:08.

A cooperating break might have stayed away. They did not cooperate, however. Pozzato was under orders not to work, and Sanchez had ambitions of his own. He sallied off of the front with 1.5 km remaining. The bunch caught the break in the last 600 m.

With 600 m left, Nocentini lunged into the lead. Pozzato powered past him with 350 m left. Petacchi was 10 m behind and had the better sprint, but it was a case so near and yet so far.

Pozzato won by one bike length.

Look for the participants in Milan-San Remo to butt heads again later in the classics season. Who will prevail? Check in at Roadcycling.com and find out! ? and while you?re at it, why not add a link to Roadcycling.com to your Web site or blog?