SAN REMO, Italy (AFP) - Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara upstaged the sprinters to claim an impressive solo victory in the Milan-San Remo on Saturday, the first one-day classic of the season.
Cancellara, who rides for CSC, pulled confidently away from a small group of race leaders inside the final three kilometres of the 298 km epic to effectively end all expectations of a bunch sprint.
The 2006 Paris-Roubaix winner's move proved decisive, and allowed him to add another prestigious win to his growing tally in what was the race's 99th edition.
Cancellara savoured his triumph by coming over the finish line with his arms in the air two seconds ahead of a group of around 10 riders.
Adding to his two world time trial titles, his 2006 triumph at the 'Hell of the North', and seven days in the yellow jersey at last year's Tour de France where he also won twice, Cancellara was in seventh heaven.
"I've dreamt so much of winning here. And now I've done it!" said the Swiss, who also won his first major stage race last week in Tirreno-Adriatico.
Italian Filippo Pozzato, the 2006 winner, sprinted to second place ahead of Belgium's Philippe Gilbert with Italian Davide Rebellin claiming fourth.
Last year's winner, Oscar Freire of Spain, finished eighth to register his worst result on the race in eight participations. He also won in 2004.
Pozzato had braided his hair prior to the race, in the supposed hope of gaining an aerodynamic advantage on his rivals.
In the end, it was the moment of hesitation among the contenders who failed to keep tabs on Cancellara prior to his surge for the line which proved far more decisive.
"We knew we couldn't give Cancellara any kind of advantage in the finale," said a disappointed Pozzato.
"I think we could have caught him if we'd all pulled together, but everyone was thinking about their own race. It's a missed opportunity."
Gilbert, a recent winner of the hilly Flemish semi-classic Het Volk, had tried to attack Cancellara on the descent of the final climb, the Poggio, only to have a change of mind.
It was soon afterwards, on the flatter, winding roads leading to the finish line that Cancellara put his time trialling skills to good use.
After a four-man breakaway that had been at the front for 250km was reeled in in the final stages, race world and Olympic road race champion Paolo Bettini attacked at the foot of the Cipressa, the penultimate climb.
He was joined by Sweden's Thomas Lovkvist, of High Road, and eventually Rebellin, Swede Niklas Axelsson, and Paolo Savoldelli.
However with the Poggio still to climb, the slender lead they held on the main bunch was fragile.
Under CSC's charge, helped by Pozzato's Liquigas team, Bettini and co. were overtaken with ease on the Poggio.
Successive attacks, including those of Rebellin and Gilbert, tore the chasing peloton to shreds minutes before the finale, with the chances of a bunch sprint all but disappearing.
"I had good legs, but not good enough to stay with the front guys on the Poggio," admitted Milram's Italian sprint star Alessandro Petacchi, who made the futile decision of waiting for teammates to help him close the gap.
When Euskaltel's Inigo Landaluze tried his luck by pulling in front with a little more than two kilometres to go, Cancellara made his move and countered.
The 27-year-old left everyone in his wake with a time trialling performance that handed Switzerland their first San Remo win since Erich Maechler triumphed 21 years ago.
