The 24-year-old HTC-Highroad
rider outpowered a group of eight breakaways to claim a surprise victory in
Italy's biggest one-day race.
Second behind the Tasmanian
sprinter in the crash-marred, 298-km event was Fabian Cancellara of
Switzerland, with Belgium's Phillipe Gilbert in third.
"After that sort of
distance you're never sure of how strong you'll be in a sprint but I knew I had
a good chance," Goss told reporters.
"I saw Fabian was coming
up and I made sure I got to the line ahead of him. I've had a really good
season so far, but actually to take a win like San Remo is just
incredible."
A mid-race crash on a rain-soaked descent allowed 44
riders, including Goss, to sheer away from the main pack and pick up a
two-minute advantage.
While favourites Oscar Freire
of Spain, Thor Hushovd of Norway and Goss's team mate Mark Cavendish of Britain
were caught in the second group, Goss conserved his strength until the final
climb of the Poggio.
A late attack by Belgian Greg
Van Avermaet fizzled out after a fast, twisting drop back to the coast,
increasing Goss's chances.
"My team had no-one in
that front group apart from me, so I just concentrated on saving my energy and
staying out of trouble, and I was lucky it worked out so well," Goss said.
"Then on the Poggio when
Gilbert made a move, I followed as soon as I could because I knew he was
dangerous.
"Finally it came down to
a sprint and I just went all out and gave it my best shot."
Goss,
a professional since 2007 and a resident of nearby Monaco, had earned his
biggest previous wins in a stage of the Paris-Nice earlier this season, a stage
of last year's Giro d'Italia and the Paris-Brussels Classic in 2009.
