 Next on the calendar for Cancellara was the Milan – San Remo which took place on 23 March. The one-day race came down to a bunch sprint after 294 kilometres (182.7 mi) of racing. Norwegian Alexander Kristoff won the bunch sprint and the race, while Cancellara finished in second position. Five days later, he competed in the E3 Harelbeke where he finished in ninth place after being caught up behind a crash and having to change a tire. Two days later, he started the Gent – Wevelgem. Cancellara came to the race a favorite, but his goal of winning the race were erased when it came down to a field sprint, where he finished in thirty-eighth position.
