Italy's Filippo Pozzato said he will go on the attack to make sure Saturday's Milan-San Remo race, the first big classic of the season, does not end in a sprint finish.

The Milan-San Remo traditionally ends in a sprint because of a lack of major climbs along the 298km route.

Pozzato won the event in 2006 with a late attack but the race has ended in a mass sprint seven times in the last 10 years, including last year when Spaniard Oscar Freire triumphed.

"This year we can't let the sprinters get their own way again," Pozzato said.

"Fortunately there are a lot of aggressive riders who are on form this year who don't want to give the sprinters an armchair ride to the finish. I think they're in for a surprise."

Riders expected to attack with Pozzato include fellow Italians Alessandro Ballan, world champion Paolo Bettini, recent Paris-Nice winner Davide Rebellin and Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara who won the Tirreno-Adriatico race that ended on Tuesday.

"They are all riding well and I know they want to avoid the race ending in a sprint just like me," Pozzato said.

"Freire was incredibly strong in the Tirreno-Adriatico as was Rebellin in the Paris-Nice. I didn't manage to win a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico but I went close several times and I feel stronger than ever. I know I'm a favourite but that gives me extra motivation."

An extra climb and a new finish could help Pozzato's chances on Saturday.

The climb of the Manie has been added to the route to avoid a landslide, while construction work has forced the organisers to abandon the traditional finish in the centre of San Remo.

"The extra climb is a 100km from the finish but it's 4.7km long and so will hurt the sprinters' legs a little," Pozzato said.

"I've ridden the finish several times in training. There are two extra corners before the new finish line and so if a rider gets a gap, they could disappear out of sight."

Reuters