Filippo Pozzato and Alessandro Petacchi have set new targets after being unsuccessful in their bids to repeat past victories in Milan Sanremo. The Lampre-Merida team-mates missed out on the winning move in last Sunday’s Classic; Pozzato was close, going over the top of the final Poggio climb just behind the successful break, but being unable to get back on terms on the descent.
He rolled in fourteen seconds back in 33rd place, while Petacchi struggled earlier and finished 65th, five minutes 13 seconds behind.
Both will line out in tomorrow’s E3 Prijs Vlaanderen–Harelbeke and then Sunday’s Gent Wevelgem. Pozzato will lead the team in the first of those, with Petacchi playing his card in the second.
“It's a race I like very much, not only because I won in 2009,” said Pozatto, explaining his preference for that event. “The course suites my qualities, the competition level is high and the atmosphere is very strong. Also it's an important test in view of Tour of Flanders: the favourites study each other, trying to understand what the form of their opponents is, and meanwhile they battle for the victory [in the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen–Harelbeke].”
Pozzato identifies Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma Quick Step), Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Leopard) and Peter Sagan (Cannondale Pro Cycling) as his big rivals tomorrow, but said that other strong riders may become clear and will therefore also be factors for Flanders. He believes that he’s less likely to do well in Gent Wevelgem.”
As for Petacchi, he believes the second of those two races are better for him. “I'd really like to get to an important result in Gent-Wevelgem: I think I could achieve this goal, since my shape is good.
“Luckily this year I did not face illness or injury and so I could train well and regularly. However I still haven’t won. On Sunday in Milan-Sanremo, the cold and the way things happened limited me: I was really sad, but I'll try to change the disappointment into positive motivation.
In relation to tomorrow’s race, he said that he hasn’t raced on those roads for a long time. “That's why I'll need to get confident with cobblestones and hills,” he explained.