Bettiol credits superb legs and time trial helmet for brilliant solo in Milan-Turin: 'Wanted to test legs ahead of Sanremo"

Alberto Bettiol, what have you done now!? The 30-year-old Italian flew off on Wednesday in Milan-Turin, already thirty kilometers from the finish. A long solo followed, and miraculously he kept the strong group behind him at bay. "One beautiful victory," he said afterwards, with a sense of understatement, in the flash interview.

"I am very proud of winning one of the most iconic races in Italy," said Bettiol, who won again for the first time since early 2023. The man who once stunned in 2019 with the Tour of Flanders as his first pro victory, credited his fifth career victory on Wednesday. Between the Tour and Milan-Turin, he also won stages in Etoile de Bessèges (2020), the Giro d'Italia (2021), and the Tour Down Under (2023).

In 2024, we already saw Bettiol among the top riders, including a fifth place in Trofeo Calvià and a third place in the final classification of Etoile de Bessèges. However, he did not think he would be so strong. "I wanted to try it because I felt good and because I wanted to test my legs after the Tirreno-Adriatico and towards Milan-Sanremo. I didn't expect that I would ride so hard, nor that I would suffer so much," he laughed his teeth out.

Bettiol grateful for time trial helmet

"A nice win also for the team," continued Bettiol, who is grateful to EF Education-EasyPost for several reasons. "This motivates towards the races to come," is his first comment. He then points to his time trial helmet, which EF has used more than once in regular road races this season. "There were several factors that made me win here today. Our team invested a lot in the material, because in modern cycling you always have to ride hard. I tested the legs and it worked."

"A test for Saturday and the cobblestone classics," Bettiol emphasized later in conversation with Eurosport. "Whether I can win Milan-Sanremo? I don't think so. It's a much longer race, and with Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar in the lineup, there are two men much stronger than me. I just want to stay consistent and compete with the best for a longer time."