Bettini regrets the cobbles

Bettini made a guest appearance at the Giro di Lombardia last week-end (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

After putting an end to his professional career at the World Championships in Varese one month ago, Paolo Bettini is currently riding the Amsterdam Sixday and will be at the start of the Milano Sixday as well. But apart from these spectacle appearances, the Italian's active days are over - and he has only one regret about his road racing days.

"He is strong; he is an excellent rider with a little of my characteristics as well as those of Di Luca," Bettini said about his former rival. "But he still needs a big success. Once that is done, he will have shown that he is a great champion. I know he won Paris-Tours - and in a beautiful way - but it doesn't equal Liège or Flanders. If I had started by winning Hamburg, I would have never told myself that I was able to win five or six classics or even the Worlds. But after my victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2000, I did."

The experienced veteran also had some good advice for the 26 year-old Gilbert. "He can win both of the Ardennes classics," Bettini added. "He may be more suited to Amstel, but he can also be victorious in Flèche and Liège. For that, he will have to turn his back on Milano-Sanremo and some of the cobbled classics, though. It is virtually impossible to shine in all of these races. The problem is: If you are at 100 percent in Sanremo, you lose fitness week after week, and five weeks is a long time..."