Piccolo change for Bellotti

By Anthony Tan

A rider with more immediate concerns is Crédit Agricole's leader for the upcoming Giro d'Italia, Francesco Bellotti. Talking to the 26 year-old from Pescantina near Verona before the start of La Flèche Wallonne, Bellotti was hoping to 'do something' in the mid-week Spring Classic, but succumbed to the might of the Mur de Huy and pulled out before the finish.

He and his team-mate Saul Raisin were down as co-leaders for the Giro, but following Raisin's serious accident at the Circuit de la Sarthe earlier this month that saw him in a coma for over a week, it appears the team's strategy has changed.

"He's better now," commented Bellotti to Cyclingnews on his American team-mate, "but it's impossible to say exactly how much; we all hope that everything is okay. We don't have one leader now; our team will be aggressive and attack, and everyone will try and do something each day."

The Italian, who finished second overall at the Tour de Langkawi in early February, added preparation for his home tour has consisted of just about everything and a little bit more. "Flat, mountains... everything - you need to do prepare everything to be good in the Giro," Bellotti said, who will arrive at the start in Seraing, Belgium on May 6 with modest expectations, adding he would be 'contento' with a top-20 finish when the race concludes at its usual resting place in Milano.