Apr 20, 2006
Bettini is Super Confident for Liege
Paolo Bettini knows how to win at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The punchy Italian won in 200 and 2002 and thinks that he has what it takes to win again this year.
“It’s as if I’ve already won it. No really, I’m not joking,” he told La Dernière Heure.
Bettini place 12th in Wednesday’s Fleche Wallone, but explained that he is not really a fan of the Mur de Huy the finishing climb of the mid-week Classic where Alessandro Valverde won his first Classic tis week.
“The Mur does have a portion that has a 19% gradient where I’m never very at ease. Try as I may, I can never follow the best. And this Wednesday, even though I found myself in the very front row on the climb, I quickly realized that it wouldn’t be any different this year,” he added.
“That said, I’ll simply remember that I had excellent sensations, same as in the Gold Race. It’s very promising for Liège-Bastogne-Liège. And that one, I love it!”
Paolo sure feels confident especially after being so animated in Amstel last Sunday. Although Quick-Step lost a little momentum to CSC in the win column, they still sport a very strong team that can help Bettini get in the right position. Ill Grillo just needs to make sure he drops Valverde before the end.