Cycling-Goss earns Australia's first Milan-San Remo win

*Goss upsets favourites to win classic race

*Australian profits from mid-race crash

Outsider Matthew Goss clinched Australia's first victory in the 102-year-old Milan-San Remo Classic cycling race on Saturday.

The 24-year-old HTC-Highroad rider outpowered a group of eight breakaways to claim a surprise victory in Italy's biggest one-day race.

Second behind the Tasmanian sprinter in the crash-marred, 298-km event was Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, with Belgium's Phillipe Gilbert in third.

"After that sort of distance you're never sure of how strong you'll be in a sprint but I knew I had a good chance," Goss told reporters.

"I saw Fabian was coming up and I made sure I got to the line ahead of him. I've had a really good season so far, but actually to take a win like San Remo is just incredible."

A mid-race crash on a rain-soaked descent allowed 44 riders, including Goss, to sheer away from the main pack and pick up a two-minute advantage.

While favourites Oscar Freire of Spain, Thor Hushovd of Norway and Goss's team mate Mark Cavendish of Britain were caught in the second group, Goss conserved his strength until the final climb of the Poggio.

A late attack by Belgian Greg Van Avermaet fizzled out after a fast, twisting drop back to the coast, increasing Goss's chances.

"My team had no-one in that front group apart from me, so I just concentrated on saving my energy and staying out of trouble, and I was lucky it worked out so well," Goss said.

"Then on the Poggio when Gilbert made a move, I followed as soon as I could because I knew he was dangerous.

"Finally it came down to a sprint and I just went all out and gave it my best shot."

Goss, a professional since 2007 and a resident of nearby Monaco, had earned his biggest previous wins in a stage of the Paris-Nice earlier this season, a stage of last year's Giro d'Italia and the Paris-Brussels Classic in 2009.