Milan-San Remo has a surprise winner

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Lance Armstrong raced for the first time since the Amgen Tour of California and his result wasn’t stellar. According to reports from a couple of cycling publications, Armstrong got dropped from the main peloton during a climb in the race.

The surprise winner was Mark Cavendish, the energetic and personable sprint star from the California-based Columbia-Highroad team. Cavendish, who won two stages in sprint finishes at the Tour of California and who won four stages at last year’s Tour de France, snuck across the finish line first, then raised his arms and shot off an impish grin. At the California tour Cavendish defended his naming himself as the fastest man in cycling as not bragging but simply truth telling, and over the last year, it’s been the truth.

But Cavendish, a Brit, has never won a one-day classic before, a race that isn’t just sprinting but also climbing and endurance.

‘Each race is special,’ Cavendish said. ‘Each time you cross the line is important. The different types of races when you win stages, you prove you’re a great sprinter. When you win a one-day classic, you prove you’re a great rider. I wanted to prove I am more than a great sprinter, that I am a great rider, and that’s what I did today.’

Meanwhile, Armstrong, according to his Twitter account, is already on his way to Spain. He will compete next week in the Castilla y Leon stage race, which will offer a truer test of the state of Armstrong’s fitness. His Astana team in the Spanish race will include Alberto Contador, who is considered the favorite right now for the Tour de France.

Last week Armstrong did a news conference in Milan where he tried to temper extreme expectations for his results in the two big races he has planned for this summer -- the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.

-- Diane Pucin