Press Release Zabel Strikes Back All eyes were on Alessandro Petacchi, Italy‘s wonder who came to Tours seeking his 25th victory of the year, but he came up just short in the avenue de Grammont after his teammates had seemingly put him in a winning position. He was beaten to the line by the sensational Erik Zabel who once again showed his uncanny ability to defy the years. It was nine years ago that he first won Paris-Tours, the same year he made his Tour debut. With his customary punch and panache, Paolo Bettini nearly stole the show when he took off during the day’s last climb, forcing the Fassa Bortolo squad to launch the chase a long way before the finish line. His eleventh place is enough to clinch the UCI World Cup for the second year running, confirming the strength of Italian cycling, which leads the rankings by country. It would seem a good bet that they will cash in on this dominance in next week’s World Championship in Hamilton (Canada). Newsflashes 17:23 - Two-peat For Bettini With his eleventh place finish, juste behind harsh-rival Peter Van Petegem, Paolo Bettini clinches his second UCI World Cup in a row. To cap off a memorable season, only one goal remains: claiming the rainbow-jersey in Hamilton next week. 16:55 - Zabel Nine Years After Despite a blistering pace, Moreni and Bettini attack and manage to take a slight lead. Quick Step's Italian maestro pulls away in the côte du Petit Pas de l’Ane and leads coming into the home straight. All to no avail as the pack surges back, led by the Fassa Bortolo squad. The dazzling Petacchi can already smell his umpteeth victory of the season, only to be nudged on the line by German veteran Erik Zabel, previous winner of Paris-Tours in 1994. 16:21 - Back To The Drawing Board In Joué-les-Tours (Km 240.5), the lead is a mere 15 seconds. At Km 243, the pack at long last catches up with the escapees, putting an end to a 240-km breakaway. 16:14 - So Close And Yet... 20 km from the finish line, the lead of the eight breakaways is stable at 30 seconds. 16:04 - A Promising French Success The Under21 Paris-Tours has just been captured by Frenchman Mathieu Claude (Equipe VendéeU-Pays de Loire). 15:50 - Drawing Closer With 45-km left, the lead of the breakaways has dwindled down to 45 seconds. Boonen and Dumoulin, winners respectively of the Paris-Tours Under-21 race in 2000 and 2001, will find it tough repeating their exploits on the Elite stage. 15:33 - Holding On With their lead down to 1’40’’ in Amboise (Km 196.5), the eight breakaways keep up a cizzling pace, with help from the wind: 50.5 kilometres for the first hour, 43 for the second, 46.6 for the third and 51.5 for the fourth. 14:02 - In The Writing The going is getting tougher for the breakaway: after falling 5’15’’ behind, the pack has taken up the chase, led by the Saeco, Fassa Bortolo, Lotto – Domo and Telekom teams. In Cormenon (Km 123), the gap is down to four minutes. 13:51 - A Smooth Ride For Bettini 2003 was undoubtedly Paolo Bettini’s year. Provisional leader of the UCI World Cup which he should logically win for the second year running is also the current world n°1, although compatriot Petacchi would dethrone him with a victory tonight in Tours. With victories in Milan-San Remo, the Hew Cyclassics Cup and the Clasika San Sebastian and a third place in the Grand Prix de Zürich, Bettini holds a comfortable lead of 146-point over Dutchman Boogerd and 147-point over Belgian Van Petegem, the more so since the former is not taking part in today’s race and the latter is no longer the dominant rider who outclassed opponents in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. The UCI World Cup hardly seems headed for a nailbiting finish. Whatsmore, Bettini has made it clear he wouldn’t take any risk this afternoon, in view of next week’s World Championship. 13:14 - Fast Break Little change in the race situation: in Dangeau (Km 76), the eight runaways keep piling on the seconds (3’45’’) with the pack giving up the chase after several fruitless attempts. The breakaways should make the most of this slackening pursuit as they seem intent on putting on the burners: 50.5 kilometers run in the first hour… 12:48 - All bets are open! Paris-Tours seems the ideal race for sprinters, with all teams lining up their speedsters in the hope of snatching victory tonight on the Avenue de Grammont. Picking a winner out of the hat is no small feat, but the Fassa Bortolo team is as good a bet as any, boasting in its ranks the new sprinting phenomenon, Alessandro Petacchi, who notched up a measly fifteen stage victories in this year’s big three (Giro d’Italia, Tour de France & Spanish Vuelta). But flashy sprinters are everywhere to be found: Erik Zabel, Oscar Freire, Robbie McEwen, Jaan Kirsipuu, Stuart O’Grady, Baden Cooke and Fabio Baldao. A massive sprint finish seems in the making, although the pack’s hard-nosed grinders will try their utmost to prevent it, the likes of Jacky Durand, Jakob Piil, Tom Boonen, Johan Museeuw, Cédric Vasseur, no to mention young French upstarts who will strive to make a good showing with the World Championships in Hamilton (Canada) looming next week… 12:06 - No Respite! Right from the start, at 11:11 am, the race set off in attacking style with Samuel Dumoulin breaking away, followed by Michaelsen, Boonen, Lang, Righi, Kupfernagel, Durand and Liese. At Km 29, their lead over the pack has already buit up to two minutes. 10:57 - Welcome To All Cycling Fans! Welcome to the official website of Paris-Tours, ninth and penultimate leg of the 2003 UCI World Cup. The race is due to set off at 11:15 am from Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, in the Paris aera. The 197 riders are faced with 257.5 km on mostly flat terrain, although the finish is a hilly one, with three climbs over the last ten kilometers: the côte de l’Epan (500 m at 8%), the côte du Pont Volant (the climb of the Mobile Bridge - 400 m at 7%) and the côte du Petit Pas de l’Ane (the climb of the slow-paced donkey - 400 m at 7%). Since 1998, loners with an attacking flair have prevailed, with Jacky Durand, Marc Wauters, Andrea Tafi, Richard Virenque and Jakob Piil holding off the pack on the famed 2,600m-long avenue de Grammont… A string of victories which should give heart to all riders who know they don’t have the blinding speed to pull away in a massive sprint finish.