Roadside Report: A day started very early and not yet finished. A never ending chase of the longest race of the year. Lots of faces, images and stories to put down in words and photos to try to get you there, at least for a moment. I’m at the table of a fast food on the highway heading south, back to home, where I will come in the early morning of Sunday. And everything will be over…

Preview: The Milan-San Remo podium contenders split their preparation into two camps, those participating in Paris-Nice and those opting for Tirreno-Adriatico. PEZ examines these two races to determine which one is the best indicator for success in the sprinters’ classic.

This Saturday I have a meeting, a sort of rendez-vous coming back every year. It’s not just to chase a race, but something else. It’s a sort of life chasing through years, and people and facts and ghosts. With each year passing, the chase becomes more difficult. This Saturday it’s the Primavera day.

A quotation first, from Philippe Brunel’s chapter dealing with Milan – San Remo in that sumptuous book, ‘The Spring Classics,’ ‘Some, like Boonen, speak of a lottery. “They already said that in my era,” Merckx once commented, “but do you know many guys who won the jackpot seven times with the same ticket?”

We just can't help it. La Primavera is such a magnificent race - she deserves some loving in the run-in to the big day. Here's one final look at the course.