Rapid in a sprint, resistant on a climb, Michael Matthews (BikeExchange-Jayco) is always something of a guarantee at Milan-San Remo, even in a year like this one, when his preparation was blighted by ill fortune.
The Australian was, almost inevitably, once again prominent on Saturday, but come the Via Roma, the great race remained as maddeningly close and far away as ever before. He crossed the line in fourth place, two seconds down on winner Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), pipped to the podium by the returning Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix).
Half of Matthews’ 10 participations at La Primavera have