Mario Cipollini questions Paolo Bettini's tactics at Worlds
Italian cycling veteran Mario Cipollini has blasted the tactics chosen by Paolo Bettini, the Italian team manager, at the recent UCI Road World Championships in Australia.
Cipollini, who claimed three points classifications at the Giro d'Italia and an astonishing 57 Grand Tour stage wins between 1989 and 2003, told
Gazzetta dello Sport that Bettini's appointment of Filippo Pozzato as team leader was erroneous.
“What tough races has Pippo won in the last four years? And if he had cramps in the finale, as I read, who was [Marzio] Bruseghin riding for on the last lap? This isn’t a personal criticism of Pozzato, but I repeat, let’s look at what he has won in the last
four years," the 43-year-old said.
Italy's Vincenzo Nibali launched an attack early in Sunday's race, with favourites Pozzato, Philippe Gilbert and Cadel Evans choosing to follow. But as the race continued, Nibali and Pozzato failed to keep up. Pozzato eventually finished fourth, and the
victory went to Norwegian sprinter Thor Hushovd.
Cipollini questioned whether the Italian team should have begun their attacks so early on in the race. "I wouldn’t have started making the race hard from so far out, because the route didn’t allow it and because Pozzato was leader."
Sprinters could have taken advantage
Few had expected the race to be won by a sprinter, given the inclusion of two climbs on the concluding circuit in Geelong, but Hushovd's victory and Matti Breschel's silver medal proved that with the right tactics, sprinters had a solid chance.
Bettini was criticised for dismissing the possibility of a sprint finish, and leaving Daniele Bennati and Alessandro Petacchi out of the race, two established Italian sprinters.
“I would even have brought both Bennati and Petacchi,” said Cippolini. “Is it such an absurd scenario to imagine, for instance, Bennati leading out the sprint and Petacchi winning the Worlds? The podium speaks for itself.”
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