Italian Daniele Pietropolli dreams of Italy's next big one-day classic, Milano-Sanremo, after his Trofeo Laigueglia win yesterday.
He and his Lampre-ISD team proved they have the versatility to pull off Italy's biggest spring classic.
"With Lampre-ISD, we had planned to make the race for Francesco Gavazzi," said Pietropolli yesterday. "The race was torn apart with attacks in the final."
Pietropolli may be Lampre's option if Milano-Sanremo ends in a similar manner.
The race, March 19, is 298 kilometres long, from fashion capitol Milan to the Ligurian seaside in Sanremo. Sanremo is only 40 kilometres to the west of yesterday's finish in Laigueglia.
Lampre-ISD will give Alessandro Petacchi the role as captain. He will be supported by German Danilo Hondo. The team will rely on Damiano Cunego to follow the attacks on the Cipressa and Poggio. Lampre may count on Gavazzi and Pietropolli, especially given yesterday's performance, to be the main backup plan.
"I am a man for the classics and short stage races. My dream win? Milano-Sanremo," Pietropolli told Cycling World ahead of this season.
"Really, I just want to win as much as possible."
The 30-year-old from Verona has already won three races this season: Laigueglia yesterday, a stage and the overall classification of the Giro di Reggio Calabria.
Italian Michele Dancelli, in 1970, was the only cyclist ever to win both Laigueglia and Sanremo in the same year.