A boost for Rebellin

Gerolsteiner's Davide Rebellin, who came in second behind his teammate Stefan Schumacher at the Amstel Gold Race yesterday, has showed he is in top form for the Ardennes Classics. Rebellin achieved a historic triple by winning all three events (Amstel Gold Race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Flèche Wallonne) in 2004, and even though repeating this feat will not be possible anymore this year, the Italian is looking forward to the next two races, hoping he will score another victory for his German squad.

"My form is good and I hope to take advantage of that at the Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday and in Liège next Sunday," said the new ProTour standings leader. "My goal is a win in the Ardennes Classics."

In the finale of the Dutch event, Gerolsteiner was represented by three riders in the lead group. "Because we were three up there, it was clear that we had to take the initiative," Rebellin continued. "If it had come down to a sprint, I would have been up against Valverde and Bettini. Wegmann sacrificed himself first, then Schumacher attacked at precisely the right moment. He is a very intelligent rider, he reads a race very well," the 35 year-old added.