Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Italy's Paolo Bettini: King of the Road; Adds World Cycling Championship to Olympic Crown

The ANNOTICO Report

Paolo Bettini hands Italy the coveted rainbow jersey for the first time since Mario Cipollini's 2002 win, and will be the toast of a country which this year had expected Tour of Italy winner Ivan Basso, who is under suspicion of being involved in doping, to win the Tour de France.

"The Italian team were superb. We tried for over 100km to eliminate a lot of our rivals with attack after attack, and in the end it came down to the final bend."

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Italian King of the Road

The Australian

From Justin Davis in Salzburg Austria 

September 25, 2006

ITALY'S Paolo Bettini has kept his pre-race promise by adding the world title to his Olympic crown on the final day of the world road cycling championships .

Quick Step rider Bettini showed his power and class in a two-man sprint which outfoxed Germany veteran Erik Zabel.

Former sprint king Zabel finished a deserved second with Spain's Alejandro Valverde in third place two bikes lengths behind.

Robbie McEwen was fourth, and comptriot Stuart O'Grady  who was considered a pre-race favourite  finished fifth, leaving the Aussies still looking for a world crown.

Bettini hands Italy the coveted rainbow jersey for the first time since Mario Cipollini's 2002 win, and will be the toast of a country which this year had expected Tour of Italy winner Ivan Basso, who is under suspicion of being involved in doping, to win the Tour de France.

"It's really great to win the jersey after so many failed attempts. It almost became an obsession for me," said Bettini.

"The Italian team were superb. We tried for over 100km to eliminate a lot of our rivals with attack after attack, and in the end it came down to the final bend.

"It just goes to show how difficult a sport cycling is."

Bettini was mad last year when its leader, Alessandro Petacchi, ran out of juice late in the men's road race in Madrid, leaving Bettini coming up short when he went for victory.

Defending champion Tom Boonen, Bettini's Quick Step teammate, finished ninth despite a finale which could have suited the Belgian star.

It was a tense finish, and Bettini played his hand perfectly by jumping on Zabel's wheel when he powered away with 200 metres to go after a four-man split in the bunch caused by Valverde and his Spanish teammate, Samuel Sanchez.

It caught Valverde short, and by the time the Spaniard tried to jump behind Bettini it was too late.

It was a disappointment for the hugely favoured 26-year-old, but his bronze medal will sit nicely alonogside his two silvers from 2005 and 2003.

"The Spanish team put in an immense effort all day," said Valverde, whose failure to land the world crown comes a week after he finished runner-up to Alexandre Vinokourov on the Tour of Spain.

"But after the four of us had broken free at the end I knew it would be difficult to beat Zabel and Bettini."

 

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