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Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen won the fastest-ever Milan-San Remo race in a photo finish on Saturday.
The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider, 26, edged out Jayco-AlUla’s Michael Matthews to claim the first Monument of the season.
Britain’s Tom Pidcock was in contention before Philipsen came through to win the prestigious one-day Spring Classic.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” he said. “It makes me really proud and happy, especially after the lead out I got from Mathieu van der Poel.”
Philipsen’s team-mate Van der Poel was last year’s winner, and the Dutch rider was expected to battle it out this time with five-time Monuments winner Tadej Pogacar.
But Philipsen surged ahead in the sprint on the final kilometre to clinch victory after six hours 14 minutes 44 seconds, with Pogacar third for UAE Team Emirates.
The average speed for the race, which is the longest of the Classics at 288km (179 miles), was 46.11km/h, breaking the record of 45.8km/h set by Gianni Bugno in 1990.
“It was a fast race all day but I was feeling very good all the time,” added Philipsen, whose previous best finish at a Monument was second at Paris-Roubaix last year.
“I believed in myself but everything had to go to perfection. I managed to come back.”
In the first of cycling’s five Monument races, Pogacar launched an attack with 5.8km to go, with Van der Poel chasing him on the final descent from the summit of the Poggio.
In the final kilometre, Bora-Hansgrohe’s Matteo Sobrero and Ineos Grenadiers rider Pidcock, who ultimately finished 11th with the same time as Philipsen, attempted to lead.
But the Belgian squeezed between Australian Matthews and the barrier to take the win by centimetres.
Milan-San Remo result
1. Jasper Philipsen (Ned/Alpecin-Deceuninck) 6 hrs 14 mins 44 secs
2. Michael Matthews (Aus/Team Jayco-AlUla) Same time
3. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates)
4. Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek)
5. Alberto Bettiol (Italy/EF Education-EasyPost)
6. Matej Mohoric (Slo/Bahrain Victorious)
7. Maxim van Gils (Bel/Lotto Dstny)
8. Jasper Stuyven (Bel/Lidl-Trek)
9. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Soudal Quick-Step)
10. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Deceuninck)