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The emotion of Julian Alaphilippe after his victory in the classic Milan-San Remo. Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck) on Saturday (March 23rd) won the 110th Milan-Sanremo, the first "Monument" of the cycling season. Alaphilippe beat a small group of runners in the sprint to finish the longest classic of the year, with 291 kilometers.

Last year, Thibaut Pinot closed the season of the classics with a victory on the Tour of Lombardy. Today, it's his compatriot Julian Alaphilippe who opens the page 2019 with a victory in the classic Milan-San Remo. The rider of the formation wins with this 110th edition of the Primavera his very first Monument.

Already on the podium in 2017

Alaphilippe won in a small group at the conclusion of the longest classic of the year, with 291 kilometers. On the line, Alaphilippe beat Belgium's Oliver Naesen, Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski and Slovak Peter Sagan. In 2017, he had played the victory on Via Roma, the mythical arrival of Primavera. But he then bowed behind Kwiatkowski and Sagan.

He signed his seventh victory of the season including the Strade Bianche, 9 of March, where he had advanced in the final Jakob Fuglsang (Astana).

The author of a very good start to the season, winner of two stages on the Tour of San Juan, Argentina, and another on the Tour of Colombia, the French of the formation Deceuninck-Quick has obviously taken a new dimension after a 2018 season of high flying. This is evidenced by his victories in the Flèche Wallonne, two stages of the Tour de France, the polka dot jersey of the best climber and the Clasica San Sebastian.

Preparation in South America

" My team toughened the race and I did not have the right to make the mistake. Six kilometers from the finish I thought, this is where ever. I had already made a big effort at the top of the Poggio. At 600 meters from the line, I told myself that there should be no 2nd place, I wanted to win, "said Alaphilippe, 26, who spent several weeks in South America for its winter preparation.

" I know I'm able to win a sprint at the end of a difficult day ," he said after a stage win on the Tirreno-Adriatico where he replaced his team-mate Elia Viviani.