85th Milano Torino, 1.1

Italy, October 13, 1999

Report - A Swiss Affair

Milano - Torino became once again a Swiss affair with last week end's silver medallist Markus Zberg sprinting in the heavy rain across the line ahead of Italy's Paolo Bettini and Germany's Jan Ullrich. As in last year's event, when Zberg's teammate Aebersold won and Zberg was fifth, the race was dominated by the main contenders for the world title with six of the top nine group from Verona once again in the top ten today.

Notable absentee in the final group was new World Road Race Champion Oscar Freire, who came in with a later group, 1.38 behind. The passing of the famous climb Colle di Superga went without decisive moves and after repeated attacks towards the end around 20 riders were left to sprint for the honours (and the lires). Vini Caldirola's hard riding for the last 15 kms to set it up for Casagrande was in vain, as he came in ninth.

Paolo Bettini proved his fine form since before the World's, where he was an unused and disappointed reserve, by coming second and Niklas Axelsson showed once again that he is more than a defensive stage race rider by taking fourth, his second top placing this fall in an Italian Classic which will probably boost him into the top 100.

The first Milano-Torino was organised 123 years ago, making it the oldest bike race in Italy.

Milano - Torino, 202 kms:

1. Marcus Zberg (Swi) Rabobank                        4.24.55 (45,750 km/h)
2. Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step
3. Jan Ullrich (Ger) Deutsche Telekom
4. Niklas Axelsson (Swe) Navigare
5. Andrea Noè (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step
6. William Chann McRae (Usa) Mapei-Quick Step
7. Dimitri Konyshev (Rus) Mercatone Uno
8. Maximilian Sciandri (Gbr) La Francaise des Jeux
9. Francesco Casagrande (Ita) Vini Caldirola
10. Jean Cyril Robin (Fra) La Francaise des Jeux
11. Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Ballan
12. Gianni Faresin (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step
13. Mauro Gianetti (Swi) Vini Caldirola
14. Niki Aebersold (Swi) Rabobank
15. Eddy Mazzoleni (Ita) Saeco Cannondale
16. Beat Zberg (Swi) Rabobank 			        0.20

...
Noted riders:

20. Marco Serpellini (Ita) Lampre Daikin
21. Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank
25. Pavel Tonkov (Rus) Mapei-Quick Step
29. Daniele Nardello (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step
30. Ivan Basso (Ita) Riso Scotti
34. Andrei Tchmil (Bel) Lotto 			        1.38
36. Mirko Celestino (Ita) Team Polti
37. Andrea Tafi (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step
38. Oscar Freire (Spa) Vitalicio Seguros
41. Daniklo di Luca (Ita) Cantina Tollo
73. Marco Velo (Ita) Mercatone Uno 		        5.00
82. Luca Scinto (Ita) 					5.45
103. Mauro Zanetti (Ita) Vini Caldirola 		8.10

174 starters
37 abandons
11 out of time limit

Past Winners

Past Winners
1874 Paolo Magretti (Ita)
1894 Luigi Airaldi (Ita)
1996 Giovanni Moro (Ita)
1903 Giovanni Gerbi (Ita)
1905 Giovanni Rossignoli
1911 Henri Pelissier (Fra)
1913 Giuseppe Azzini (Ita)
1914 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1915 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1917 Oscar Egg (Swi)
1918 Gaetano Belloni (Ita)
1919 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1920 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1921 Federico Gay (Ita)
1922 Adriano Zanaga (Ita)
1923 Costante Girardengo (Ita)
1924 Federico Gay (Ita)
1925 Adriano Zanaga (Ita)
1931 Giuseppe Graglia (Ita)
1932 Giuseppe Olmo (Ita)
1933 Giuseppe Graglia (Ita)
1934 Mario Cipriani (Ita)
1935 Giovanni Gotti (Ita)
1936 Cesare Del Cancia (Ita)
1937 Giuseppe Martano (Ita)
1938 Pierino Favalli (Ita)
1939 Pierino Favalli (Ita)
1940 Pierino Favalli (Ita)
1941 Piero Chiappini (Ita)
1942 Piero Chiappini (Ita)
1945 Vito Ortelli (Ita)
1946 Vito Ortelli (Ita)
1947 Italo De Zan (Ita)
1948 Sergio Maggini (Ita)
1949 Luigi Casola (Ita)
1950 Adolfo Crosso (Ita)
1951 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita)
1952 Aldo Bini (Ita)
1953 Luciano Maggini (Ita)
1954 Agostino Coletta (Ita)
1955 Cleto Maule (Ita)
1956 Ferdi Kübler (Swi)
1957 Miguel Poblet (Spa)
1958 Agostino Coletto (Ita)
1959 Nello Fabbri (Ita)
1960 Arnaldo Pambianco (Ita)
1961 Walter Martin (Ita)
1962 Franco Balmamion (Ita)
1963 Franco Cribiori (Ita)
1964 Valentin Uriona (Spa)
1965 Vittorio Taccone (Ita)
1966 Marino Vigna (Ita)
1967 Gianni Motta (Ita)
1968 Franco Bitossi (Ita)
1969 Claudio Micheletto (Ita)
1970 Luciano Armani (Ita)
1971 Georges Pintens (Bel)
1972 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel)
1973 Marcello Bergamo (Ita)
1974 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel)
1975 Wladimiro Panizza (Ita)
1976 Enrio Paolini (Ita)
1977 Rik Van Linden (Bel)
1978 Pierino Gavazzi (Ita)
1979 Alfio Vandi (Ita)
1980 Giovanni Battaglin (Ita)
1981 Giuseppe Martinelli (Ita)
1982 Giuseppe Saronni (Ita)
1983 Francesco Moser (Ita)
1984 Paolo Rosola (Ita)
1985 Daniele Caroli (Ita)
1987 Phil Anderson (Aus)
1988 Rolf Gölz (Ger)
1989 Rolf Gölz (Ger)
1990 Mauro Gianetti (Swi)
1991 Davide Cassani (Ita)
1992 Gianni Bugno (Ita)
1993 Rolf Sörensen (Den)
1994 Francesco Casagrande (Ita)
1995 Stefano Zanini (Ita)
1996 Daniele Nardello (Ita)
1997 Laurent Jalabert (Fra)
1998 Niki Aebersold (Swi)