It was held on Sunday 23 March over a distance of 294 kilometres (182.7 miles) and was the fourth race of the 2014 UCI World Tour season.

Peter Sagan of Cannondale was seen as one of the top favourites going into the race, due to his all round sprinting and hill climbing abilities.

The race was run in harsh conditions with hail and heavy, freezing rain hammering the riders for hours.

An early break of seven built up a considerable lead but they were reeled in as they hit the Cipressa and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) went on a surprise attack.

He built up a lead of around 35 seconds from the peloton but was reeled in as the race exploded in to life on the Poggio, led by Katusha and Cannondale.