Vicioso ready for MSR

Team Liberty Seguros-Würth is looking forward to Milan-Sanremo, where it hopes to place its Australian sprinter Allan Davis among the top placings. Assisted by Ángel Vicioso, Davis could just be the man to win if a small group arrives at the Via Roma ahead of the peloton, said Vicioso.

"I'd work for Allan in the ideal case that a small group finishes the race in front," he said. "He's in great form and one of the favourites for victory." Vicioso, who has returned to racing at Tirreno-Adriatico after a difficult season last year where he crashed in the Tour de France, also thinks that Oscar Freire and the Italian Fassa Bortolo squad will be major contenders for the win of La Primavera, as well as Paolo Bettini, Tom Boonen and Alejandro Valverde. "The race could also be decided by one rider only," he continued. "I've seen Bettini training at Tirreno and he was in good shape. What's more, his team also counts on Boonen for the sprint, so he'll be doing whatever he can to take the race apart. And there will also be Valverde to attack."

Vicioso, who hadn't been racing since the Tour of Pologne last September, is confident that his current form is improving in time for his own goals. "Milan-Sanremo is a very tough race, where you need to get over the Cipressa and the Poggio in front to even open up some possibilities. I'm a little short of preparation for it, because my objectives are the Northern classics and the Vuelta al País Vasco, and those competitions take place a month from now. I need to lose about two kilos yet to be lean.

"We'll still have a very competitive squad in Milan," he added. "Caruso and myself can try to break away, and Allan could finish in a sprint."

Liberty Seguros-Würth will send the following riders to the "Classicissima": Allan Davis, Ángel Vicioso, Jörg Jaksche, Aaron Kemps, Michele Scarponi, Giampaolo Caruso, Sergio Paulinho and Carlos Barredo. Igor González de Galdeano will not participate, as he is still waiting for the test results which might explain his lack of form. Jan Hruska is currently suffering from the 'flu and will not be able to be available as a reserve.