Anyone have any favorites for Lombardy??

Anyone have any favorites for Lombardy??

After winning in strong fashion earlier this week, Simoni would be my pick.

Bettini--he's still got a chip on his shoulder from the Worlds and is out to try and salvage a somewhat unremarkable early season.

Simoni looks good, but I think it will come down to Bettini or Valverde. I'd like to see Valverde take it to end the year the right way - he's my underdog pick for next year's TdF and I want him to have a happy off-season!

Other Lombardia wildcards: Cunego punks Simoni one last time even though he's been down with the mono or Oscar Sevilla salvages yet another lackluster season.

Anyone have any favorites for Lombardy??

If Bettini can hold onto the lead group on the Ghisallo climb, he has an excellent chance of winning, I think.

Otherwise, my money's on Simoni. Cunego's out of form, and Lampre has made Simoni the sole leader of the team. Valverde was injured, and despite his performance at the Worlds I am somewhat skeptical that he'll be able to regain the fitness. Celestino doesn't look bad, but his team is weak. Boogerd may do well, if he and Erik Dekker can stop chasing each other down!

However, the rider who will spend the most time in a breakaway without pulling or attacking will be Rebellin for sure. Ouch ;-).

I THINK LANCE IS GONNA COME OUT OF RETIRMENT AND...And...and...aaaannnnddddd i got nothin' :rolleyes:

seriously, Bettini is one of my favourite riders (even though I'm about 7 inches taller :) ) and I hope he pulls of another win like in Zurich. man, I need to see this entire season again b/c i didn't see hardly any of it before the tour b/c I was riding at 2:00 for Cyclism Sundays. I was IN France for most of the tour, so i didn't see it there (weird, I know) and there's been NO coverage after the tour. F**king OLN. but then again...NHL RULES! YEAH! :mad:

Motivation for Simoni or distraction?


No Sony-Ericsson squad for 2006

Former Fassa Bortolo manager Giancarlo Ferretti's planned Sony-Ericsson squad will not happen after all, according to reports surfacing in Belgium. Het Laatste Nieuws is reporting that agent Ferretti was dealing has turned out not to represent the company and the deal is therefore off, leaving nearly 50 employees, including riders, mechanics and support staff to make alternative arrangements for 2006. Ferretti is currently in Stockholm for emergency meetings at the company's headquarters.

Australian rider Stuart O'Grady, who'd agreed to ride for Ferretti's team in 2006, spoke to Cyclingnews about the development, saying, "it's obviously very disappointing. We have to wait for confirmation but at the moment it doesn't look good." O'Grady will now start looking for a new team, but was staying tight lipped about who that will be. "I'll have a look at some other teams, get in contact - I just have to go back to square one. It's really disappointing, and seemed to good to be true."

It was indeed too good to be true, and O'Grady said he's spoken with fellow Australian Matt White, who shares his disappointment; but O'Grady doesn't blame Ferretti, saying, "it obviously came from the powers above him - I don't blame him. He's in Stockholm right now for meetings with the company. It's just really disappointing - not just for myself and Whitey, but for young CJ [Sutton] who's just signed up, and the nearly 50 people this affects - all the staff."

Riders such as Gilberto Simoni, Salvatore Commesso and Cristian Moreni will now have to find another team for next year, and at this early stage Unibet.com team manager Hilaire Van der Schueren has shown interest in signing the Garcia Quesada brothers, with arrangements being made for Simoni to possibly ride for Naturino-Sapore di Mare.

Bettini does it again. :)

Bettini does it again. :)

Damn.. not only did he hold on to the lead group on the Ghisallo, he attacked everybody there! I just looked at Bartoli's palmares and looks like Bettini's list of classics wins is fast approaching Bartoli's. It's notable that Bettini has the abillity to win some cobbled classics like Flanders and Het Volk, but Lefevere will probably hold him back in favor of Boonen. One has to wonder though. He has done well in both of these in the past.

Damn.. not only did he hold on to the lead group on the Ghisallo, he attacked everybody there! I just looked at Bartoli's palmares and looks like Bettini's list of classics wins is fast approaching Bartoli's. It's notable that Bettini has the abillity to win some cobbled classics like Flanders and Het Volk, but Lefevere will probably hold him back in favor of Boonen. One has to wonder though. He has done well in both of these in the past.

Nice ride by Il Grillo for sure. Loved to see him win. That guy is one of my favorites out there riding these days. Simoni, looking good in second, he was in the hunt for sure. Too bad he didn't take it, would be a good bargaining chip for a new team since the Sony thing fell through with the quickness.

If back in the day Bettini hadn't had to work for Bartoli, he would have an even more impressive palmares. Bettini is a player in the cobbled classics, but those are all Boonen for sure. He's the man when it's down and nasty on the cobbled roads of Belgium and Northern France, Bettini rides them well though for a little tiny guy. Usually it is the larger guys that ride the cobbles well. Ala Boonen, Magnus, Musseuw, and so on.