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Saturday, March 22: Milano-San Remo, World Cup Round 1. 297 km.

Pictures from the pre-race sign-up

Results: Bettini wins a 3-up sprint in a breakaway that escaped on the Poggio. Cipo gets 4th place winning the field sprint. 195 starters, 170 finishers.

1. Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) 6hr 44min 43sec. 44.03 km/hr

2. Mirko Celestino (Saeco) s.t.

3. Luca Paolini (Quick Step) @ 2sec

4. Mario Cipollini (Domina) @ 11sec

5. Dario Pieri (Saeco) s.t.

6. Erik Zabel (Telekom) s.t.

7. Oscar Freire (Rabobank) s.t.

8. Jan Svorada (Lampre) s.t.

9. Serguei Ivanov (Fassa Bortono) s.t.

10. Guido Trenti (Fassa Bortolo) s.t.

11. Gianluca Bortolami (Caldirola) s.t.

12. Bernhard Eisel (FDJ) s.t.

13. Marcus Zberg (Gerolsteiner) s.t.

14. Baden Cooke (FDJ) s.t.

15. Graziano Gasparre (De Nardi) s.t.

16. Matthew Wilson (FDJ) s.t.

17. Kim Kirchen (Fassa Bortolo) s.t.

18. Marc Lotz (Rabobank) s.t.

19. Beat Zberg (Rabobank) s.t.

20. Ruggero Marzoli (Alessio) s.t.

On the eve of the race, La Gazzetta Dello Sport has handicapped the stars and rated their likelihood of victory:

5 Stars: Cipollini
4 Stars: Bettini, Di Luca, Freire & Zabel
3 Stars: Petacchi, Pozzato & Vainsteins
2 Stars: Bartoli, Figueras, Rebellin, McEwen, Popovych & M. Zberg
1 Star: Flecha, Marzoli, O'Grady, Pieri, Vandenbroucke & Vinokourov

A thoughtful and very reliable observer sent me a note saying that Cipollini did not look as sharp on the climbs of Tirreno-Adriatico as his arch-rivals Zabel and Freire. I think this confirms Cipollini's own feelings. He delayed his 2003 season debut because he felt his form was not quite there. Perhaps we will have some savage attacks in the late climbs of the race as Robobank and Telekom try to exploit any weakness to get Zabel and/or Freire away from the World Champion. The Domina Vacanze boys will have to work very hard to keep it all together for the final sprint. But, even there, Freire can beat Cipo in a flat-out drag race, as he showed in the final stage of T-A. But don't underestimate the skill of the Domina team, they are the best leadout team in the world. And Cipollini does not enter a race to get 2nd. He hates to lose. His will to win M-SR, a deeply cherished goal for all Italian racers, will make this a very interesting race

Pictures from the sign-up

Cristiano Mariani, a friend of Mauro Mondonico, was at the morning sign-up for the start of the 2003 Milano-San Remo. He kindly sent the pictures he took and gave us permission to post them.

Phonak's Massimo Strazzer

Mauro Mondonico, who will be the driver for the chief referee of the race, talks with his father Antonio. Lombardi, Cipollini's lead-out man is the zebra in the foreground.

The race's eventual winner, Paolo Bettini.

Don Cipo.

Mauro Mondonico, looking very cool and very Italian (is that redundant?) while he waits for the race to start. He has a long drive ahead.

Former UCI World Number 1, Davide Rebellin.

Getting ready to start.

Strazzer in a vest, the morning is cool.

Erik Zabel rides by.

Saeco's Zanini with some help.

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