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Monday, 25 September 2006 |
Italian rider Paolo Bettini beats Erik Zabel in Austria
Italian rider Paolo Bettini beat Erik Zabel to win the men's road race at the World Championships in Austria.
Olympic champion Paolo Bettini, 32, who rides for Quick Step, overtook German veteran Erik Zabel in the final 100m of a two-man sprint to the finish line.
Paolo Bettini finished the 265.2km route in six hours 15.36 seconds for his first world road race title.
Erik Zabel, 37, had to make do with second place with Spain's Alejandro Valverde in third, more than two bike lengths behind.
"I dreamed about becoming world champion," said Erik Zabel.
"It is awful when you still lead with 50 meters to go. But silver gives me joy, too," Erik Zabel added.
Paolo Bettini said that he had been confident before the race began but didn't expect such a long drawn-out finish.
"It was the longest finish I ever raced," said Paolo Bettini.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 September 2006 )
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