Soon to be 37 year old Italian super sprinter, Alessandro Petacchi, has his eyes on the one race held above all others for an Italian sprinter or one day specialist: Milano-Sanremo.
The Green Jersey winner at this summer's Tour de France is currently readying for the 2011 season and spoke with Wielerland TV about his dream to win a second edition of La Primavera.
"Milano-Sanremo is the best classic there is. It's nearly 300 kilometers to the finish in my country. I am training now for this race, and I want to win it one more time."
The Lampre-ISD rider took his one and only victory in Sanremo in 2005 while riding for Fassa Bortolo. Interestingly, he beat his current teammate and leadout extraordinaire, Danilo Hondo, for the win.
While the years continue to advance on the rider from La Spezia, his blazing sprint certainly hasn't slowed down. Petacchi celebrated eight victories in 2010, including two stages of the Tour de France and a stage of the Vuelta.
Along with the Cipressa, Poggio, 300 kilometers, and a score of young sprinters including Mark Cavendish and Tyler Farrar, the only thing standing between Petacchi and win number two in his favorite race is an ongoing doping investigation.
It's not clear where Petacchi stands in the investigation, but his former teammate is looking at a six year ban resulting from a raid on his home in April along with a lengthy investigation. Petacchi has been connected with Bernucci, but it's unclear if the connection is solid enough to sanction the prolific sprinter, or if there is a connection at all.
If Petacchi can manage to avoid a suspension, 2011 could be a big year for him with bookending goals to the season: an early highlight at Milano-Sanremo and then a chance to take his first ever World Championship victory in Copenhagen next fall.