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Bettini wins again!!!
posted by id* at 05:54 PM on September 12, 2008
Reigning World Champion Paolo Bettini (Specialized bikes) is back at his best just in time for a run at third consecutive world championship title in Varese later this month.
Riding his Specialized Tarmac SL2, the Cricket kicked to an impressive and dominant second victory on Thursday ahead of compatriot Davide Rebellin (Specialized bikes, shoes, optics) in the 186.4km 12th stage of the 63rd Vuelta a España. The winding course through the narrow and rain-splattered roads of Spain’s northern Atlantic coast was tailor-made for Bettini’s characteristics. “
When I studied the route, I put a mark on this stage and on the stage to Toledo, and now I’ve won them both!” said a happy Bettini after the stage. “The weather really made for an awful stage today. It was cold and raining. Today I rode the race as if it were a spring classic. I was at the front all day, with the team on attention and focusing all day.”
World Champion Paolo Bettini takes his second Vuelta stage in 2008.
The hilly route across the wild Cantabrian mountains spelled doom for pre-race favorite Alejandro Valverde, who lost contact with the main pack coming off the day’s final second-category climb at Alto de Caracol. With 60km to go, he lost more than three minutes to drop from 4th to 11th. Valverde’s misfortune was compounded by Quick Step’s intense chase of a three-man breakaway and the team’s determination to set up Bettini for the win.
“It’s too bad that Valverde missed out on the front group. I asked (Davide) Viganò to really pull hard on the descent to put everyone in single-file,” Bettini explained. “We certainly didn’t mean to put Valverde into difficulty.”
Quick Step maintained a brutal pace in the closing 20km to shut down any would-be late attackers before veteran Matteo Tossato gave a great show in the final two kilometers. The veteran – who boasts stage wins in the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia on his palmares – set a blistering pace that fractured the lead group and eliminated dangerous rival Oscar Freire before the final kilometer. 2007 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador attacked with 800 meters to go in an attempt to distance his GC rivals, and the tactic played perfectly into Bettini’s hands.
“Contador made a long-distance attack and that gave me a marker in the final sprint. He wanted to gain as much time as possible on his rivals and that actually helped me out indirectly,” Bettini recounted. “Tosatto was fantastic in the final and the team did a great job.”
Bettini hugged his teammates after the stage, and after a round of kisses from the podium girls, reflected on the significance of his two victories in the 63rd Vuelta.
“The Vuelta has been my preferred preparation for the worlds the past few years. I’ve always managed to win a stage each year, and that really gives me a big confidence boost,” he said. “I am quite content with how things have turned out so far. I am looking ahead to the worlds with confidence and tranquility. The chance to try to win the worlds for a third time in Italy in Varese just makes me that much more motivated.”
The peloton enjoys its second of two rest days on Friday before facing the daunting challenge of the Angliru summit on Saturday. Bettini vows he’ll race all the way into Valladolid for stage 17 if the weather remains cooperative. Unfortunately, forecasters are calling for rain and cold all weekend.
categories: News & Announcements , Pro Riders , Bettini , Contests , Photos
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Comments (1)
12:53 AM on November 29, 2008 UTC Darren Creaven wrote:
Ciao...