15.0°C Not observed 
MILAN, Italy - Favourite Tom Boonen has said that the time is right for him to win the Milan-San Remo race on Saturday.
The 29-year-old Belgian will be riding in his eighth edition of the race and feels he can used the experience that he gained in those previous races to finally secure victory.
"To win the Milan-San Remo you need experience," Boonen told Friday's Gazzetta dello Sport. "It is my eighth Milan-San Remo and I think I know this race well enough. I'm ready. I don't know if I'm in the best shape ever, but I'm better than I was last year."
Boonen, who rides for the Quick Step team is well known for his sprint finish, but he has been let down in the past by his inability to cope with the steep climbs in the race.
The Cipressa climb in the closing stages has often left him too fatigued to capitalize on his strong finish.
"I've learned at the Milan-San Remo that you can't be scared to act," Boonen said. "It is one of those races in which you can wait and wait and wait. You think about saving your energy for the last part of the race and while you are doing that you lose it."
The Milan-San Remo is the opening single-day classic of the cycling season, and at 298 kilometres it is one of the longest of the year.
Lance Armstrong has been forced to pull out of the race citing a bout of gastroenteritis. He finished 125th last year and, before retiring in 2005, raced the event six times but never won.
One person not as confident as Boonen is defending champion Mark Cavendish, who has said he has no expectations of repeating his 2009 win.
Last year the 24-year-old Cavendish took a surprise victory when he narrowly beat Heinrich Haussler to the line in a sprint finish.
"San Remo is not about climbing, it is about resilience," Cavendish told Cycling Weekly. "You don't have to be a climber to win San Remo, you have to be resilient. It's about suffering and you can't suffer without training. I can't suffer, that's the thing.
"I was stronger last year because I did a lot more training," he said. "I did not do as much training this January. I missed 2,000 kilometres. That's a lot."
Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen has put himself in the frame since winning the final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race.
Despite the stage win the 22-year-old Norwegian finished outside the top 10 and is happy to play down his chances in the race.
"I am young and the San Remo is a very long and difficult race," Hagen told Gazzetta dello Sport. "For me it will only be my second time in it. Last year I was exhausted by the Cipressa, like Armstrong. I used too much energy trying to keep up with Cavendish.
"The unknown aspect for me is the distance," he said. "At the most I train up to 275 kilometres. But I am developing and I will be surrounded by experienced riders. I can win if I attack, rather than wait for the sprint."
Toronto's Michael Barry, riding for Team Sky, is also in the field.
