50th Coppa Sabatini - 1.2

Italy, September 26, 2002

2001 Results Results Past winners

Paolo Bettini wins 50th Coppa Sabatini

Bettini gets it
Photo: © Roberto Bettini

Mapei-Quick Step's Paolo Bettini has recorded his ninth season victory in today's 50th edition of the Coppa Sabatini. Bettini beat Andrea Ferrigato (Alessio) and Ruggero Marzoli (Formaggi Trentini) in a bunch sprint, after a very attacking race.

The race was held over eight laps of a 22 km circuit, followed by two laps of a 12 km circuit. After a slow opening lap and a half at 35 km/h, the attacks started at km 33 with Basso, Totschnig, Popovych, Detilloux, Kroon and Peron, who were joined by Frattini and Zampieri. By the 50km mark the escapees had built up a 1.26 gap, and over the next 25km it fluctuated somewhat but never dropped below a minute.

With the break's margin at 1.12, Saeco moved to the front and began to push the pace, gradually chipping away at the gap which dropped to 38 seconds, then 28 seconds as Roberto Conti led the main peloton on the ascent of the Terricciola.

After 106km of racing the break had just 18 seconds and was swept up two kilometres later.

The next attack came immediately as Popovich saw his chance in the moment's relaxation as the break was assimilated. Gerosa and Peron went with him and the trio briefly gained a few metres on the peloton before being caught by a response led by Gerolsteiner and at km 110 the peloton was together again, with Laurent Jalabert driving the pace at the front.

On the fifth lap, the peloton began to string out and split into two on the descent after Peccioli, but was soon reunified. A brief attack from Scinto and Fontonelli was closed down by Petito, followed by an attempt from Serpellini, Konecny, Asmaker and Cerezo, also unsuccessful.

Asmaker was in the action again at km 135 with Bartoli, Nardello, and Pellizotti in perhaps the most threatening escape. The quartet was away for almost 30km, building a maximum lead of 40 seconds till they were reeled in by a very active peloton, with Max Sciandri making most of the running to close the gap.

The attacks continued through the last 25km with Missaglia, Baguet, Jalabert and Bettini away 25km from the line to be caught at 20km to go and Virenque making an attempt with 10km to go, but the peloton, powered by Fassa Bortolo, Mapei and Lotto-Adecco was now moving too fast for anything but a superhuman attack to stick.

With a kilometre to go, Scinto led a unified peloton toward the line, and 400m out Ferrigato and Bettini made their moves. 300m from the line Ferrigato had the advantage but with 200m left, Bettini kicked and was fastest in the final metres to take the 50th Coppa Sabatini.

Photography

Images by Roberto Bettini

Paolo Bettini digs deep in the final kilometres of the race with Laurent Jalabert (CSC-Tiscali) in attendance.
Bettini hits the line ahead of Andrea Ferrigato and Ruggero Marzoli.

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

Paolo Bettini (Mapei) raises his arms as he wins the 50th Coppa Sabatini
Paolo Bettini (Mapei) celebrates as he crosses the line
Paolo Bettini (Mapei) kissed on the podium
Paolo Bettini (Mapei) obliges for the photographers
The podium (L to R) Andrea Ferrigato (Alessio, 2nd), Paolo Bettini (Mapei, 1st) and Ruggero Marzoli (Formaggi Trentini, 3rd)
Paolo Bettini (Mapei) smiles with his trophy

Results - 197.7 km

1 Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step                      4.30.31 (43.92 km/h)
2 Andrea Ferrigato (Ita) Alessio
3 Ruggero Marzoli (Ita) Mobilvetta Design-Formaggi Trentini
4 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank
5 Fabiano Fontanelli (Ita) Mercatone Uno
6 Michele Bartoli (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
7 Giuseppe Palumbo (Ita) De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa
8 Mirko Celestino (Ita) Saeco-Longoni Sport
9 Serge Baguet (Bel) Lotto-Adecco
10 Geert Verheyen (Bel) Rabobank
11 Uros Murn (Slo) Mobilvetta Design-Formaggi Trentini
12 Bo Hamburger (Den) Index-Alexia
13 Matteo Carrara (Ita) Team Colpack-Astro
14 Marco Gili (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi
15 Fred Rodriguez (USA) Domo-Farm Frites
16 Marco Serpellini (Ita) Lampre-Daikin
17 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Fassa Bortolo
18 Tom Stremersch (Bel) Lotto-Adecco
19 Richard Virenque (Fra) Domo-Farm Frites
20 Massimiliano Mori (Ita) Mercatone Uno
21 Enrico Cassani (Ita) Domo-Farm Frites
22 Mihkail Timochine (Rus) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
23 Santo Anza (Ita) Landbouwkrediet-Colnago
24 Devis Miorin (Ita) De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa
25 Filippo Simeoni (Ita) Acqua e Sapone
26 Marius Sabaliauskas (Ltu) Saeco-Longoni Sport
27 Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) Acqua e Sapone
28 Romans Vainsteins (Lat) Domo-Farm Frites
29 Marcelino Garcia Alonso (Spa) CSC-Tiscali
30 Hernan Buenahora Gutierrez (Col) Cage Maglierie
31 Cadel Evans (Aus) Mapei-Quick Step
32 Kjell Carlström (Fin) Amore & Vita-Beretta
33 Daniele Righi (Ita) Index-Alexia
34 Jan Valach (Svk) De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa
35 Ruggero Borghi (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi
36 Nicki Sørensen (Den) CSC-Tiscali
37 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Adecco
38 Slawomir Kohut (Pol) Amore & Vita-Beretta
39 Massimo Donati (Ita) Tacconi Sport-Emmegi
40 Kurt Van De Wouwer (Bel) Lotto-Adecco

158 starters
89 finished

Past winners

2001 Dmitri Konyshev (Rus) Fassa Bortolo
2000 Andreij Tchmil (Bel)
1999 Dmitri Konyshev (Rus)
1998 Emmanuel Magnin (Fra)
1997 Andrea Tafi (Ita)
1996 Bjarne Riis (Den)
1995 Davide Cassani (Ita)
1994 Maurizio Fondriest (Ita)
1993 Claudio Chiappucci (Ita)
1992 Stefano Zanini (Ita)
1991 Franco Chioccioli (Ita)
1990 Moreno Argentin (Ita)
1989 Maurizio Fondriest (Ita)
1988 Claudio Corti (Ita)
1987 Gianni Bugno (Ita)
1986 Jean-Francois Bernard (Fra)
1985 Marino Amadori (Ita)
1984 Silvano Contini (Ita)
1983 Moreno Argentin (Ita)
1982 Giuseppe Saronni (Ita)
1981 Claudio Bortolotto (Ita)
1980 Gianbattista Baronchelli (Ita)
1979 Leonardo Mazzantini (Ita)
1978 Francesco Moser (Ita)
1976 Piero Spinelli (Ita)
1975 Giovanni Battaglin (Ita)
1974 Wilmo Franconi (Ita)
1973 Mauro Simonetti (Ita)
1972 Antoine Houbrechts (Bel)
1971 Roberto Poggiali (Ita)
1970 Gösta Pettersson (Swe)
1969 Romano Tumllereo (Ita)
1968 Franco Bitossi (Ita)
1967 Michele Dancelli (Ita)
1966 Franco Bitossi (Ita)
1965 Luciano Armani (Ita)
1964 Italo Zilioli (Ita)
1963 Dino Bruni (Ita)
1962 Giovanni Sabbadin (Ita)
1961 Dino Bruni (Ita)
1960 Graziano Battistini (Ita)
1959 Rino Benedetti (Ita)
1958 Giuseppe Pardini (Ita)
1957 Giambattista Gabelli (Ita)
1956 Idrio Bui (Ita)
1955 Angelo Miserocchi (Ita)
1954 Rino Benedetti (Ita)
1953 Primo Volpi (Ita)
1952 Primo Volpi (Ita)


Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com