Milano-Sanremo 2024 LIVE – Attack-filled finale sees sprinter Philipsen the photo-finish winner from Michael Matthews, with Pogacar third

And still Silvan Dillier is in the engine room. Whether MVDP does it or not, he's certainly earned his glass of post-race Astoria prosecco after the day is done.

Musettes are gathered throughout the peloton, then discarded after their contents have been claimed. Ineos Grenadiers are all together as they pass through the commune of Spotorno. It's surely all about Pidcock today, but Kwiatkowski has done it before.

Our man on the moto, Jens Voigt, has said he thinks Pogacar is going to go "all-in on the Cipressa" and I have to say I agree with him. No-one is going to let him get a gap on the Poggio, but on the Cipressa they might hesitate. There's no rider with more confidence, a greater willingness to lose a bike race in order to win it, than Pogacar. And that's his greatest asset.

That's bait.

And as we're already running at a good 0.5kph ahead of the fastest plan, it tells me we're on for a finish of around 3:30. The breakaway's lead has stabilised at around 2'30 but I can't see it getting any higher, let alone nudging the three minute mark.

Still it's only Dillier and Mosca sharing the workload. UAE Emirates have at least appeared towards the front, if not actually on it.

The Ligurian resort town the race is passing along the front of is looking absolutely glorious. As I have written about before, a race like this is at least equally an advert for the local tourist board. It's working for me. The weather today certainly helps.

Because why not? We've got time.

Tsarenko is a 23 year-old Ukrainian, neo-pro who has mainly raced in Italy. His most prestigious result was the overall victory in the 2022 Tour of Bulgaria. Back to you, in the studio.

Firstly because Milan-Sanremo has gone sixteen years with sixteen different winners. And secondly because it's even longer, 23 years, since a rider won two in a row. Erik Zabel it was, wot dunnit last in 2001.

Counterpoint: It's Mathieu van der Poel.

Some animation in the peloton as Mosca gestures to indicate that perhaps someone else might like to go on the front. It doesn't seem to have done much good, because Dillier diligently parks himself on the bonnet of the bunch. I'm inclined to agree with everyone else, to be honest. The clocks says the gap is 1'48, so what work is there to do? If they want UAE (or Visma, or Ineos) to shoulder the burden, they need to shrink from it themselves.

By the way, the race has reached the Ligurian coast, and it's all very pretty from here.

Should anyone ask you to explain the fascination of a circa 300km bike race, you can't do better than the words of Rob Hatch:

"The key to the enjoyment is the anticipation."

And there is a lot of anticipation in Milano-Sanremo.

The director cuts to a grand helicopter shot of the crest of the Turchino pass beneath the lip of which is the tunnel taking the race onto the descent. This is no time for heroes, there's still a lot of racing left to go, so let's just get everyone down safely, eh?

Reports that Piddy Bivun (dsm-firmenichNL, the gentleman kiwi, wasn't feeling well before the start and it has led to his being the first retirement of the day. Very sorry to hear that.

Don't be expecting any big attacks here. It'll be all about positioning and saving energy. Every watt matters. UAE have certainly managed their matches well so far.

A raw display of power. Might be worth mentioning that this is his first day of road racing this year, while last year it was his ninth. Will that make a difference? Hard to say. In 2022 he also launched his season here, and finished 3rd.

Or gently pats it, might be more accurate, because they might be technically on the climb but that's with the most generous interpretation of where it starts. They are now going up hill, but only very gradually. The gradient doesn't really start to bite for a further 20km.

As Lidl-Trek's Jacopo Mosca again seizes the reins, we're back down to just above two minutes, and Dan asks why UAE aren't being asked to contribute something to the front of the race? At the moment it looks like there's the danger of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek exhausting the team-mates they'll need to position Pedersen and Van der Poel when the racing picks up in the final decile of its distance. That would certainly be to the benefit of Pogacar.

As Dan Lloyd arrives in the Eurosport commentary box.

That's an average of 44.393kph. Not hanging about are they? And that's faster than the fastest projected finishing timetable.

The gap has gone out and is hovering around 2'50. I tell you what, if I was in the break, I'd be a bit peeved. I wouldn't blame them for calling the bunch's bluff and easing off. The teams directing the tactics of the peloton don't actually want to catch the escapees, but if they're not going to be allowed room to ride, perhaps they should refuse to? Just a thought.