Benna looking better

By Gregor Brown in Compiègne

Daniele Bennati of Lampre-Fondital was knocked out after last weekend's Ronde van Vlaanderen. The rider from Arezzo helped his teammate, Alessandro Ballan, to victory but shortly after the race started feeling ill.

He spent two days without riding and was forced to miss the Gent-Wevelgem, a race where he would have been a favourite to win. "I had to take two days off because at one point I had a fever of 40°C," he said as the team was preparing for a ride on Saturday morning. "The symptoms were the same to what I had after Paris-Nice, with an upset stomach."

But now, Bennati recovered and focused on helping his teammate on Sunday. "I want to start tomorrow to give Ballan a hand. He has a really good chance of winning and I will do what I can," he said, looking good but it will have to be seen how his legs react after his forced rest.