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Cavendish triumphs in Classic on debut

BRITISH sprinter Mark Cavendish won the Milan-San Remo race on Saturday in his first attempt as Lance Armstrong finished well off the pace.

The 23-year-old fastman outpowered German Heinrich Haussler to notch his first major Classic victory by less than half a wheel after 298 kilometers of racing. Norwegian Thor Hushovd was third.

Allan Davis of Australia finished fourth and pre-race favorites Alessandro Petacchi and Daniele Bennati of Italy were fifth and sixth, respectively.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong lost touch with the leading pack on the Cipressa climb two thirds along the course in his first European race since coming out of retirement this year.

Armstrong has now raced the Milan-San Remo seven times and never won, with his best result 11th in 1996. This was the third race of his comeback, after finishing 29th in the Tour Down Under in Australia and seventh in the Tour of California.

The 37-year-old is preparing for May's Giro D'Italia.

The peloton split between the Cipressa and Poggio climbs but Columbia-Highroad rider Cavendish remained in the front group of some 60 riders.

"I said before the race that perhaps I couldn't win, but I never said it was impossible," Cavendish said. "I knew it'd be hard but I had faith in myself and my teammates and they all did a perfect job."

Cavendish's win here was the first success by a Briton since Tom Simpson in 1964.





 

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