Bettini and Van Petegem?

Mike Owens

Both have had good form all spring and have been there at the end of all the
big races. Van Petegem is known as a very smart racer who hides all day
until he attacks at the end. Both riders have been instigators of the
decisve attacks the last two Sundays but have not been able to capitalize on
them. Are they resolutely refusing to bring each other to the finish and,
therefore, allowing other very capable riders (Rebellin, Boogerd, etc.) to
go up the road? Has there been any mention of this in the Euro pres?

Van Hoorebeeck Bart

No. Such talk would make sense if they were neutralising each other while
decisive breaks take off (like Astarloa last year..) . But we see races
remaining closed for a long time and then it is played at the very end with
everybody still there.

Van Petegem shaked "no" on the Muur in the Ronde. In Roubaix he had bad luck at
a bad time. He seemed unusually strong in the AGR and LBL. So his peak seemed to
have come just after his most fitting races.

Bettini was simply not good enough in the very final of the races he aimed for.
In MSR he was the strongest on the Poggio but unable to make a gap. In the other
races not good enough to be a contender.

Mike Owens

"Van Hoorebeeck Bart" <bart.vanhoorebeeck@wvc.vlaanderen.be> wrote in
message news:408CFFB9.5DA88E38@wvc.vlaanderen.be...
> No. Such talk would make sense if they were neutralising each other while
> decisive breaks take off (like Astarloa last year..) . But we see races
> remaining closed for a long time and then it is played at the very end
with
> everybody still there.
>
> Van Petegem shaked "no" on the Muur in the Ronde. In Roubaix he had bad
luck at
> a bad time. He seemed unusually strong in the AGR and LBL. So his peak
seemed to
> have come just after his most fitting races.
>
> Bettini was simply not good enough in the very final of the races he aimed
for.
> In MSR he was the strongest on the Poggio but unable to make a gap. In the
other
> races not good enough to be a contender.
>

Thanks. I have only been able to read Cyclingnews' live reports the past
two Sundays. I had the feeling from what I read that Bettini and Van
Petegem kind of let Boogerd and Rebellin go up the road rather than these
two counter-attacking and decisely dropping Bettini and PVP.
-Mike

Tom Kunich

"Van Hoorebeeck Bart" <bart.vanhoorebeeck@wvc.vlaanderen.be> wrote in
message news:408CFFB9.5DA88E38@wvc.vlaanderen.be...
> No. Such talk would make sense if they were neutralising each other while
> decisive breaks take off (like Astarloa last year..) . But we see races
> remaining closed for a long time and then it is played at the very end
with
> everybody still there.
>
> Van Petegem shaked "no" on the Muur in the Ronde. In Roubaix he had bad
luck at
> a bad time. He seemed unusually strong in the AGR and LBL. So his peak
seemed to
> have come just after his most fitting races.
>
> Bettini was simply not good enough in the very final of the races he aimed
for.
> In MSR he was the strongest on the Poggio but unable to make a gap. In the
other
> races not good enough to be a contender.

From what little I saw it looked to me like Bettini had a bad case of
Hincapie disease - he was always up on the front showing everyone how strong
he was while everyone else was planning all sorts of strategies to tire him
out and make him screw up.