100th Giro di Lombardia - ProT

Italy, October 14, 2006

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step)and Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) together before start of Lombardia
• Jonathan Hivert (Crédit Agricole) crashes early on in race
• The peloton snakes its way up early climb
• Rare photo of Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) at the back of the peloton
• Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) looks cool at the start of the race
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step)and Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) ride along at the start
• Peloton along the shores of Lake Como, before the start of Ghisallo
• Ghisallo sees Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) another great champion pass
• Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) started the attack that led to Bettini's counter
• Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) shows force but was not there in the finale
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) and Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) swap pulls
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) looking so cool
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) shows the grit that he is famous for
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) focuses on the job at hand
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) rides on typical Italian roads
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) looks like he means business
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) hammers on the front of an elite group
• Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) leads Schleck
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) digs deep before going free
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) on front of group
• Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) finished 8th and missed out on a podium spot
• Fränk Schleck (Team CSC) looked good in Lombardia, finishing 7th
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) leads German Wegmann
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) wins second Lombardia for brother Sauro
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) throws kisses to the tifosi
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) emotional with win
• Paolo Bettini and Lefevere (Quick-Step) emotional after win
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) with wife and parents in background
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) with Dad after emotional win
• Paolo Bettini and Filippo Pozzato (Quick-Step) emotional after grand win
• Paolo Bettini and Filippo Pozzato (Quick-Step) hug after a thrilling race

Images by Roberto Bettini/www.bettiniphoto.net

• Madonna del Ghisallo as riders go by
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) rides with style on his way to win
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) wins wins blows kisses
• Bettini in UCI world championships stripes
• The early break
• The peloton
• National pride and a race-side lunch
• The ProTour season ended Saturday.
• ProTour leader Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears)

Images by Davide Tricarico/www.laborraccia.it

• Gabriele Missaglia (Selle Italia) needs a new wheel.
• Madonna del Ghisallo's new cycling museum.
• A statue on the Ghisallo.
• Now you know why it's called 'the race of the falling leaves.'
• Georg Totschnig (Gerolsteiner) and Andrea Pagoto (Panaria ) breakaway on the Ghisallo.
• Diego Caccia (Barloworld) in action on Ghisallo.
• 'The Shark' Mirko Celestino (Milram) trying to catch the Bettini group.
• An empty podium: a protest against the U.C.I.
• Paolo Bettini's nephew.
• A podium girl with no winner to kiss.

Images by Fotoreporter Sirotti

• The iconic streets of Mendrisio.
• ProTour winner Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne - Illes Balears) soon after the start in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
• The peloton arrives at the Italian border after 17km.
• The gruppo owned the streets in Azione.
• Janez Brajkovic (Discovery) in Azione.
• The 'Fuggitivi' or breakaway work together on the way to Como.
• The peloton climbs into Azione.
• Filippo Pozzato leads the Quick-Step train for World Champion Paolo Bettini.
• Michael Boogerd (Rabobank)
• Philippe Gilbert (FDJ)
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) breaking away on the Ghisallo.
• Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) making his way through the convoy on the Ghisallo.
• Discovery's Vladimir Gusev will never die wondering if he could have won the Giro de Lombardia.
• Cristian Moreni (Cofidis) swings off a group in pursuit of Paolo Bettini.
• Luxembourg's Frank Schleck (CSC) leads a gruppo including the champion of Holland, Michael Boogerd (Rabobank).
• A select group of champions Frank Schleck (CSC) leads Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner) and Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) over the summit of the Ghisallo.
• A Saunier-Duval rider checks over his shoulder.
• Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) crests the Ghisallo.
• Cristian Moreni (Cofidis) leads Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) over the summit of the Ghisallo.
• Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) edges Gerolsteiner's Fabian Wegmann for second.
• Cristian Moreni (Cofidis) comes home fourth.
• The two number ones: Bettini and McQuaid.
• World Champion Paolo Bettini in a moment of solidarity with the retiring Andrea Peron (CSC).
• Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) shoots a look that could kill.
• You could say he's happy with it.