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8 March 2006

9 March News ...

Bettini Battles The Killer and Garzelli

Today starts the 41st Tirreno-Adriatico in Tivoli (Lazio) and two former Mapei teammates are set to battle: Paolo Bettini and Stefano Garzelli. The duo finished one-two in the 2002 Liège-Bastogne-Liège but in this week-long race they are two hot favorites that will gun each down for the overall honors.

"This year I am so much better compared to last year, there are no problems with my health and I have already had a couple of great victories," said Il Grillo, Bettini (31). "I will not let myself get behind, I want to go well right from Tivoli. It will be a very hard course, with the classification decided on with the crono and the mountain finish to San Giacomo... My favorite will be Garzelli, at Milano-Torino he already seemed brilliant and I know that he will give his all to this course."

Il Grillo has a point: Stefano Garzelli went very well in Milano-Torino, finishing sixth overall for the day, plus he will have The Killer on his side for Tirreno. "I will ride to help on Garzelli," said Danilo Di Luca (30). "I will ride the crono to test myself, because I have worked a lot on my position, but then on the next day to San Giacomo I will help Garzelli. We have in mind a plan, he and Pellizotti are our guys for the classification. Bettini will be the favorite, due to how he has been racing, but Garzelli is strong, especially in a long and hard climb like San Giacomo."

Garzelli (32), who will be skipping the Giro d'Italia this year, wants to make the most of his spring campaign and a Tirreno win would do the trick. "[In training] I have made climbs of 25 kilometers with quality work, the base is there," said the Liquigas captain. "We expect a great race but with some nervous stages with lots of attacks. ... Bettini? He is thin and at [the GP di] Lugano he really did a number. I know him well and from hearing him talk I understand that he won those races easily."

The race starts with a tough stage from Tivoli to Tivoli, 167K. The riders will feel the heat of the race from the start, with a light uphill sprint finish of 6% to the finish in Tivoli. Stay tuned to BiciRace.com for coverage of the Corsa dei Due Mari.

Read:
Garzelli Points for the Adriatico, 3 March

Ivan Basso Not Far Off

Ivan Basso (Team CSC) made his debut in the Milano-Torino last Saturday and now points his sights for Adriatico. He will line up with his Danish team today in the Tirreno-Adriatico, but with the goals of building the racing kilometers and working on his time trialing.

"I am not ready to battle day-in and day-out, but I will search for some additional form here," said the Italian Stallion. "I have still not done any work above threshold and that is what you need to win, but at Milano-Torino I noticed I was not very far from the best [riders]. ... You will not see me at the front of the gruppo. ... The crono [stage 5] will certainly be a good test."

2006 Tirreno-Adriatico, 8 - 14 March
Main, Startlist, Overall Map, Photos

Boonen: the Beast of Belleville

Tom Boonen (Quick-Step) blasted his opponents yet again in stage 2 of Paris-Nice. The World Champion bettered all to the line in Belleville after 200K of racing, marking his fourth career victory in the Paris-Nice.

"I don't understand the attitude of the other teams that just stay and watch all day," said the Belgian after the stage win. "It was not easy to decide how to react. Finally we decided to take the reins and we caught him [Nicolas Crosbie (Agritubel), who was away for 186K] at the very last minute to finally battle it out in a great sprint. I won for my teammates, because they ride for 25,000K at the front each year for me. ... A third victory? It is possible but not an objective. I can tell you that tomorrow, if the fight starts for real, I won't be part of it. I will sit back and watch."

Today's stage 3 takes the riders from Juliénas to Saint-Etienne, 170K, and Boonen will likely lose his GC lead on the difficult stage. And if you are keeping count at home, like BiciRace.com, the Boonen-Petacchi sprint battle now stands at 9-6. The Italian has another two chances for victory in the Tirreno-Adriatico before facing-off with the Belgian in the Milano-Sanremo. La Classicissima is now only 10 days away!

Read:
Boonen Answers Petacchi's Call, 7 March

Vande Velde and Celestino Out of Paris-Nice

Christian Vande Velde (Team CSC) and Mirko Celestino (Milram) are both out of the 2006 Paris-Nice due to crashes in stage 2. It is very bad news for the Italian who was aiming for his home race, the Milano-Sanremo. After initial exams at the Bonneville hospital it was determined that Celestino has a fractured right collarbone and now will be a no-show for il Treno Milram in Sanremo.

Il Americano, Vande Velde, is a little better off than Celestino. Last night he had his left shoulder x-rayed to confirm that there were no broken bones. BiciRace.com caught up with Vande Velde, who was already back home in Spain, to inquire the depth of his pain. "I feel like someone took a Louisville slugger to my shoulder," said the 29 year-old. "They say that there is nothing broken. But I will go back in a few days and make sure. ... But luckily it was only the shoulder."

BiciRace.com sends our best wishes to the two riders. We expect to see Il Americano back in action by the Giro d'Italia and doing some hard pulls for Ivan Basso.

Read:
Spring Cleaning for Vande Velde, 20 February

2006 Paris-Nice, 5 - 12 March
Main, Startlist, Overall Map, Photos

Amstel Gold Race Confirms Barloworld and Astarloa

Claudio Corti, Team Manager of Barloworld, has received confirmation of his invitation to the 41st Amstel Gold Race. After the impressive success of Igor Astarloa in the Milano-Torino the organizers could not say no to the team's request. The Basque is sure to make a strong performance in Holland on 16 April, he will be gunning for a strong week up north, including La Flèche Wallonne (19 April) and the Liège-Bastogne-Liège (23 April).

Last Saturday in Milano the 2003 World Champion confirmed to BiciRace.com his intentions: "From here I will go to Pais Vasco, and then my goals will be Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne and Liège."

Other Professional teams, besides Barloworld, to start the Amstel Gold Race are: Unibet.com, Landbouwkrediet-Colnago, Chocolade Jacques-Topsport and Dutch-based Skil-Shimano.

7 March News ...