Di Luca looking for triple

Danilo Di Luca is the man to beat in Belgium at the moment: after dominating the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Wallonne, Di Luca is longing for the third success to confirm his leadership of the Classics in northern Europe and consequently of the Pro Tour rankings. As Liquigas-Bianchi team manager Roberto Amadio said, "Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the most charming Classic in the race calendar and we are going to do our best to win. We are accepting our responsibility as the favourite team, but we aren't worried thanks to Sunday's and Wednesday's victories."

Danilo Di Luca and Franco Pellizotti, who trained on the Côtes of the next ProTour race on Friday, agreed: "The route is tougher than last year. In the past, the race was often decided on the Redoute, but this time the battle may start from the Stockeu climb," the riders said. As one should never change a winning team, Liquigas-Bianchi will feature the same riders who were Di Luca's helpers in La Flèche Wallonne: Albasini, Calcagni, Carlström, Gerosa, Ljungqvist, and Mugerli.