Ale-Jet pulls the curtain after 18 seasons and more than 180 wins
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Alessandro Petacchi wins on the Via Roma in 2005(Image credit: Sirotti)
Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) giving his bike the final inspection(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brake) having a bit of fun with his teammates(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) wins the sprint while Freire (orange) shakes his head. He was almost brought down by McEwen, who unclipped in the furious sprint.(Image credit: Régis Garnier)
The four jersey classification winners: Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), Alberto Contador (Astana), Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) and Anthony Charteau (Bbox) (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) doesn't do Paris-Roubaix for a good reason.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) takes the sprint on stage 2.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) with his not-quite matching green shorts and jersey.(Image credit: www.ispaphoto.com)
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) wins the sprint on stage 2(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) wins the mad dash to the line. Just behind McEwen unclipped and bumped into Freire (orange jersey). Both stayed upright while Zabel celebrated the team-mates win behind.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Nice biceps, Ale-Jet - Petacchi salutes rather emphatically after his second Vuelta win(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Two - Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) triumphs once again, with Thor Hushovd (Crédit Agricole, L, unseen) and Erik Zabel (T-Mobile, R) second and third.(Image credit: Unipublic)
Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) looks good in the fishes of the points jersey, but won't win it overall(Image credit: Unipublic)
Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) and iPod(Image credit: Shane Stokes/Cyclingnews.com)
Alessandro Petacchi is ecstatic(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
An emotional Alessandro Petacchi is congratulated by a team-mate(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The cilamino jersey of Petacchi is nestled into the leadout train(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Alessandro Petacchi was on hand to watch the Giro - he can only watch as he's currently suspended.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alessandro Petacchi's Fassa Bortolo Pinarello Dogma.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews)
Probably the highlight of Alessandro Petacchi's day(Image credit: Sirotti)
Detailed rear view of Petacchi's Pinarello Dogma - note that unique shape of the magnesium chainstays and Onda carbon fibre seatstays.(Image credit: Tim Maloney/Cyclingnews)
Tom Boonen, Juan Antonio Flecha and Alessandro Ballan were held up in their pursuit by a train in Paris-Roubaix in 2006(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Basso and Petacchi pose on the start line.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Classification winners (l-r) Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Prodir), Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas), Andy Schleck (Team CSC) and Alessandro Petacchi (Milram).(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Mark Cavendish (HTC Highroad) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) do battle.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Mario Cipollini (Liquigas-Bianchi) and Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) together early on in the race(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Unbelievable for Alessandro Petacchi (Milram).(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Robbie McEwen (RadioShack) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) have shared many a sprint dual.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The race for second was very close between Fran Ventoso (Movistar) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The elation set in quickly after Petacchi realised he had won(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Petacchi and Hondo before the start(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Three time winner Zabel on the left shares a laugh with first time winner and team-mate Petacchi. Zabel led out the Italian.(Image credit: Régis Garnier)
Freire (l) and Petacchi fight it out.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alessandro Petacchi has won 22 Giro d'Italia stages in his career.(Image credit: AFP)
Ivan Basso, Alessandro Petacchi and Jurgen Van den Broeck imbibe in some of the local brew.(Image credit: Elmar Krings)
Alessandro Petacchi and Damiano Cunego in the studio with their bikes.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Sprint greats Alessandro Petacchi and Mario Cipollini pose together at the finish of stage 10.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alessandro Petacchi and Danilo Di Luca at the 2007 Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Sirotti)
Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) and his wife.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Just months after his 39th birthday Alessandro 'Ale-Jet' Petacchi announced he would retire with immediate effect. 'The Gentleman' as he was affectionately called due to his quiet nature and apparent dislike for the hustle and bustle of bunch sprinting, enjoyed a long and prosperous 18-season career and has more than 180 victories to show for it.
The exact number of career wins is something which even Petacchi disputes but the Italian fast-man was undoubtedly one of the fastest of his time. Even in his twilight years he managed to pull-off some of his biggest achievements including winning two stages and the green points classification at the 2010 Tour de France - at the tender age of 36.
The Italian had slowed his winning rate over the past few seasons but managed to still pick up enough results to ensue his passion and desire to continue competing.
The following gallery is a showcase of the man who holds 48 grand tour stage victories, the point classification at the Giro d'Italia (2004), Tour de France (2010) and Vuelta a España (2005) along with victories at Milan San-Remo (2005) and Paris-Tours (2007). Petacchi is not without a few black marks against his name but the now retired sprinter can still look back on a prosperous career that was beyond what he ever expected.
"My career has been full of satisfactions and enriched by all the most important victories that a rider like me could ever have aimed for," said Petacchi in a statement released by his team. "I feel it's time to dedicate time for myself and to go in search for new interests."
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