Bettini: "World's don't suit Boonen"

The current World Champion's teammate Paolo Bettini doesn't think that Tom Boonen will be one of the candidates for victory in Salzburg, Austria, on Sunday, September 24. "The parcours in Salzburg is too demanding for Tom," the Olympic champion told Het Laatste Nieuws. "Even if he has won the Tour of Flanders twice, first we have to see how his form is. I fear foremost the Kazakhs, Alexandre Vinokourov and Andrej Kashechkin."

The Belgian, meanwhile, has a different point of view. "I don't agree with him," he countered. "Of course I'd like to defend my world champion title. Time flies when wearing the rainbow jersey..."