Light health problems for Boonen and Bettini

With La Classicissima Milano-Sanremo only a few days away, Quick-Step stars Tom Boonen and World Champion Paolo Bettini are suffering minor physical setbacks. In Tirreno-Adriatico, Bettini crashed again on Saturday, hurting his left knee. Although nothing is broken, the bruise is painful.

"On Saturday night, I really didn't think I would be able to start again," Il Grillo told L'Equipe. "But I'm hanging on. At this point in the season, I can't allow myself the smallest gap in my preparation. It's hard to pull on the handlebars, and my knee hurts - especially at night - but my legs spin fine..."

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1