Photo Essay: The weathered faces of Milano-Sanremo

At 294 kilometers, Milano-Sanremo is the longest of cycling’s monuments. Sunday’s 105th edition played out in rainy, cold weather and presented a serious test for the race’s 198 starters. Astana rider Andriy Grivko arrived in Sanremo in a state of absolute exhaustion. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Surrounded by his team, Alexander Kristoff relished the biggest moment of his career with the win in Milano-Sanremo. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Classics specialist Greg Van Avermaet spoke with the media at the finish in Sanremo. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Simon Geschke (pictured) and Luca Paolini are part of a new beard trend in the pro peloton. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Race photographer Yuzuru Sunada appeared pleased to call it a day. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Antonio Parrinello of Androni Giocattoli carried the signs of fatigue from a cold and wet day in the saddle. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Zak Dempster arrived at the finish by car after a late-race crash took him out. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Third-place finisher Ben Swift only learned he would start Milano-Sanremo two weeks ago. The Briton rode to third on Sunday. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Borut Bozic of Astana hydrated while listening to team physio Michele Pallini. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Cesare Benedetti of NetApp-Endura spotted a friend in the finish-line scrum, bringing a smile to his face. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Irishman Nicholas Roche was content to survive the day. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Neo-pro Dayer Quintana, brother of Tour de France best young rider Nairo, experienced an exceptionally hard first go at Milano-Sanremo. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

A little levity at the finish on the part of Jack Bauer didn’t go unnoticed. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

MTN-Qhubeka rider Kristian Sbaragli took a breather at the finish under the care of one of the team’s soigneurs. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Proud teammate Luca Paolini caught a glimpse of the media buzz around race winner Alexander Kristoff. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Edvald Boasson Hagen had one of the few smiles in the peloton after the arrival in Sanremo. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Despite feeling “incredible” earlier in the race, Mark Cavendish arrived at the finish in fifth place after the brutal cold took its toll. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Garmin-Sharp’s Fabian Wegmann showed the strain of relentless rain and plummeting temperatures. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Milano-Sanremo’s 2013 winner, Gerald Ciolek, couldn’t recapture the top prize in Sanremo, finishing ninth. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

The work doesn’t end at the finish line, as dark clouds swirl above RCS Sport staff awaiting the riders. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Fabian Cancellara claimed second place again, just as he did in the 2013 edition of the race. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Zdenek Stybar continued his rapid rise in the peloton Sunday with a solid seventh-place finish. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

The top men of the 2014 Milano-Sanremo (L-R): Fabian Cancellara, Alexander Kristoff, Ben Swift. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Former runner-up Heinrich Haussler faced disappointment again at Sanremo, finishing 6:23 down on race winner Alexander Kristoff. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Vincenzo Nibali tried his hand on the Cipressa, but came up short in the end. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Philippe Gilbert led out the sprint in Sanremo and the Belgian’s face carried the pain of 294 kilometers, most of it in the rain. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com

Eugenio Alafaci of Trek Factory Racing couldn’t escape the spray of the day’s endless rain. Photo: BrakeThrough Media | brakethroughmedia.com