Bettiol used every aero advantage at Milano-Torino 🔥 The EF Education-EasyPost rider left no stone unturned in pursuit of speed on his way to victory 🚀 📸 Getty Images _________________ 🇮🇹 #MilanoTorino
Bettiol credits superb legs and time trial helmet for brilliant solo in Milan-Turin: 'Wanted to test legs ahead of Sanremo"
CyclingWednesday, 13 March 2024 at 19:01
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."
Il Lombardia 2024
The Pogacar effect: How Tadej has shaped the career of Matthews in a crucial way
Can Decathlon AG2R's big budget strike back against the 'Big Four' this spring?
Meanwhile in the peloton | Good news for Lars van den Berg: "But the road to the top is still long"
Cycling kits 2025: Movistar and Jayco AlUla embrace bold new designs, Bardiani revamps with focus on detail
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe sees one of the last Gregari, a dying breed, retire after 15 years
Latest Cycling News
The Pogacar effect: How Tadej has shaped the career of Matthews in a crucial way
Can Decathlon AG2R's big budget strike back against the 'Big Four' this spring?
Meanwhile in the peloton | Good news for Lars van den Berg: "But the road to the top is still long"
Cycling kits 2025: Movistar and Jayco AlUla embrace bold new designs, Bardiani revamps with focus on detail
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe sees one of the last Gregari, a dying breed, retire after 15 years
Popular Cycling News
New gear aims to make Vingegaard and Van Aert faster: "Perfectly suited to the riders' needs"
Cycling transfers WorldTour 2025 | Uno-X unwraps Christmas gift from Jayco AlUla: Grøndahl Jansen makes the move
Meanwhile in the peloton | Good news for Lars van den Berg: "But the road to the top is still long"
Cycling kits 2025: Movistar and Jayco AlUla embrace bold new designs, Bardiani revamps with focus on detail
Pogacar intimidates competition just before Christmas dinner with the most prestigious KOM in the training area
Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024