Flèche Wallonne Champ Rebellin close to Gerolsteiner contract renewal

By Gregor Brown

2007 Flèche Wallonne Champion Davide Rebellin is close to renewing his contract with Team Gerolsteiner. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 36 year-old Italian from Veneto stayed an extra day in Germany following the Worlds to speak with Team Manager Hans-Michael Holczer regarding the 2008 season.

Rebellin stormed the World Championships course on Sunday, setting up for team-mate Paolo Bettini's win with an attack on the long Birkenkopf climb during the penultimate lap. In addition to this year's Flèche, the rider who has spent the last six years with the mineral water company has won the 2004 Amstel Gold Race, Flèche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, plus stages in Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.

"... With the years passing I have come to know myself very well," explained 'Tin-Tin' to Cyclingnews after winning Flèche in the spring.

"If I keep getting results, I will go on," he continued. "The desire is there; maybe I will go on through 2009; if I can train well and limit my courses to these one-day races. So I think I can continue in this manner."