Milan-San Remo from behind the lens
A gallery of the best photos from the race
The 2010 edition of Milan-San Remo seemed rather ordinary if one just looks at the results: Oscar Freire won his third title ahead of heavy favourite Tom Boonen and former champion Alessandro Petacchi. But when a race covers nearly 300km and seven hours of racing, there is plenty which goes on behind the scenes which doesn't get captured in the results.
Fortunately, our Italian photographers Roberto Bettini and Fotoreporter Sirotti were in the race for most of the day and caught some of the ups and downs of the event along the way.
We hope you enjoy this gallery of some of our favourite photos from this year's Milan-San Remo.
Stefano Garzelli slays himself for teammate Luca Paolini. Photo: Sirotti
The scenery is unparalleled. Photo: Bettini
Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) makes a trip back to the team car. Conserving effort in the first 250km is critical. Photo: Sirotti
Eddy Ratti (Carmiooro NGC) leads the early breakaway. Photo: Bettini
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Team Sky at the back of the long, single file peloton. Photo: Sirotti
In a race 300km long, there are going to be a few pit stops. Photo: Bettini
The view from the back of the peloton. Photo Bettini
The descents are sometimes tricky and steep. Photo: Sirotti
One has to balance nutrition with controlling the bike. Photo: Sirotti
The ability to focus, especially on the descents, is crucial. Photo: Sirotti
Mark Cavendish, the defending champion, had a crash. Photo: Bettini
Brent Bookwalter (BMC) also hit the deck. Photo: Betttini
Eating enough food is of the utmost importance. Photo: Betttini
The descents stretch the peloton into a long, thin line. Photo: Sirotti
Francesco Ginanni (Diquigiovanni)Photo: Bettini
Mick Rogers (HTC-Columbia) has a go at attacking. Photo: Sirotti
Greg Van Avermaet (Omega Pharma-Lotto) is red-faced from the effort on the climb. Photo Sirotti
Yohann Offredo (Francaise des Jeux) throws in an attack at the end of the race. Photo: Sirotti
Stefano Garzelli slays himself for teammate Luca Paolini. Photo: Sirotti
Maxime Bouet (AG2R) goes on the attack late in the race. Photo: Sirotti
Dmytro Grabovskyy (ISD-Neri) countered Bouet's move and got clear for a time. Photo: Sirotti
Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) tries to draw out a move in the final 20km. Photo: Sirotti
Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) puts in a dig, but gets nowhere. Photo: Sirotti
Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) goes for broke on the final kilometres. Photo: Sirotti
Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) lays his cards on the table and goes all in. Photo: Sirotti
Oscar Freire's age doesn't stop him from winning another Milan-San Remo. Photo: Betttini
Oscar Freire takes his third Milan-San Remo title. Photo: Bettini
Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) layered in road grime after a tough race. Photo: Bettini
Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) was led out perfectly but faded to fourth. Photo: Bettini
George Hincapie (BMC) looking a bit shell shocked after the race. Photo: Betttini
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) a bit disappointed after taking third. Photo: Bettini
Freire brings his son up onto the podium to enjoy the view. Photo: Bettini