BiciRace.com :: News :: March 2006

News :: March 2006

16 March 2006

Sanremo Parcours in Solitude for Petacchi

Ultimi 30K, photo: RCS Sport

Ale-Jet will be riding the finale of the Milano-Sanremo today. Lo Spezzino will exit for a four and a half hour ride, covering the capi, the Cipressa and the Poggio. Yesterday, the day after winning the final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico, Alessandro Petacchi rode for an easy hour and a half to loosen the race winning legs.

The reining Sanremo champion will train on the Ligure parcours solo like he did last year, when he only had Giancarlo Ferretti following in the team car for company. Petacchi will cover the key points of the finale in detail, contemplating and memorizing every crack in the road, every curve, ever road sign ...

Saturday he will join his Milram teammate in Piazza Sant'Ambrogio to depart on the 294K journey to Sanremo. His Milram mates will be: Erik Zabel, Marco Velo, Fabio Sacchi, Alessandro Cortinovis, Enrico Poitschke, Maarten Den Bakker and Christian Knees.

Read:
Petacchi Takes Last Race, 15 March

Relaxed Zabel in La Classicissima

Zabel Relaxed, photo: BiciRace.com

Erik Zabel (Milram) is always there in the sprint-mix but has not come up with the goods in a while. For Milano-Sanremo, like the finale of Tuesday's Tirreno-Adriatico stage, he will be working for his Italian teammate, Alessandro Petacchi. Of course if the opportunity arises the German will capitalize and go for win number five in La Classicissima.

"There are two favorites: Bettini and Petacchi," said the German, who is always mixing it with the favorites. "If Bettini recuperates he will be very difficult to beat, I could see that he has superb form in Tirreno-Adriatico. And Petacchi, even if he has not won three stages like last year, he is going very strong."

Zabel, having won the Sanremo in four times, knows a thing or two about the finale. "On the Cipressa you have to be in the first 50. Then on the Poggio you have to be in the first 20," explained the German who last won in 2001. "Descending the Poggio it is better to stay towards the front, especially for the last two curves before the Via Roma. The road rises a little and often there will be a headwind. Then the rest is a mystery. The strong will always win, because Sanremo is a course that is very difficult. And if there is bad weather, well then it will become a mess."

If you think that Zabel does not have ambitions and is only going to serve as a super-domestique for 2006, then think again. "I will take it calmly, the course of my dreams is 2 April, the Tour of Flanders," said Zabel. "Then a week later there is Roubaix. I can't figure the Roubaix, but I like the race a lot."

Boonen: Balen to Bergamo

Boonen Nips Petacchi Andalucía, photo: Quick-Step

Today Tom Boonen will make the transfer from Balen, his home in Belgium, to Bergamo. From the Bergamo Airport Boonen will travel to Milano where tonight he will be presented with the 2005 Oscar Gazzetta (awarded back in December). And then Saturday he will start in the Milano-Sanremo, 294K in length, where at the end he hopes to flash is World Champion jersey in victory.

Last Sunday Boonen finished the Paris-Nice and then Monday he trained on the finishing parcours of Sanremo. Over the last month he has covered the race's finale a total of ten times in order to prepare himself. Yesterday, back in his home country of Belgium, he was pounding the pavement with his Quick-Step mates. Boonen spent four intensive hours of riding with his team and then an additional 30 minutes of motor-pacing for maintaining leg-speed.

Read:
Sanremo: Boonen and Bettini Prepare, 14 March
Last Sanremo Recon for Boonen, 12 March
2nd Oscar Gazzetta to Boonen, 28 December

Paolo's Odds for Sanremo

Odds not good for Bettini, photo: Quick-Step

Once again the big races have started in cycling and it is now time to catch up with BiciRace.com's bookmaker. We strolled down to the main Piazza today to catch up with our old pal Paolo, who we haven't seen since the days before last fall's Giro di Lombardia.

Paolo was happy to talk about the Milano-Sanremo and share a caffè. Looming large on his mind were Paolo Bettini and his recent crash. We explained that we think Il Grillo is a classy rider and will find a way to rise to the top of any race. Paolo firmly disagreed, saying that 'Two hours and forty minutes of training yesterday, with back pains, won't win the Sanremo!'

Below are all of the odds. BiciRace.com encourages you to gather around with your buddies and place bets. It is early in the season so gamble big, any money you lose now can be won back later!

Paolo's Odds:
Tom Boonen (Quick-Step) 1-3
Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) 1-3
Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole) 1-8
Oscar Freire (Rabobank) 1-10
Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) 1-15
Erik Zabel (Milram) 1-15
Danilo Napolitano (Lampre-Fondital) 1-16
Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) 1-20
Alessandro Ballan (Lampre-Fondital) 1-20
Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros-Würth) 1-20
Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) 1-20
Alexander Vinokourov (Liberty Seguros-Würth) 1-25
Fabian Cancellara (Team CSC) 1-30
Erik Dekker (Rabobank) 1-35
Francisco José Ventoso (Saunier Duval-Prodir) 1-35
Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) 1-40
Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval-Prodir) 1-40
Igor Astarloa (Barloworld) 1-40
Roger Hammond (Discovery Channel) 1-40
Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) 1-40
Marcus Zberg (Gerolsteiner) 1-45
Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Fondital) 1-45