Rebellin aims for more in 2009

Davide Rebellin starts 2009 with the goals of winning Milano-Sanremo, the World Championships and the Giro di Lombardia. The 37-year-old aims to add these races to an already rich palmarès by the end of next year, when he retires.

"Other than the Worlds, there are two races that I have never one in my career, Milano-Sanremo and Giro di Lombardia," Rebellin told Tuttosport. "Yeah, even Sanremo. It is not only adapted to the sprinters; I am also able to win it."

Rebellin won the French stage race Paris-Nice last year, but fell short in two key races. The one-day specialist finished runner-up in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Olympic road race.

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"Silver in Beijing was great; also because it came on the day I turned 37 years old."

Rebellin, a professional since 1992, won the Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2004 as part of an historic triple with Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne. He returned to win Flèche Wallonne in 2007.

His first win came in the 1996 Giro d'Italia stage seven in Monte Sirino, where he won a stage and spent six days in the race leader's maglia rosa.

"When I turned professional I was just 21 years old and I did not think to race this long. I still have the desire to win. I think of [Joop] Zoetemelk, who became World Champion at 39 years old. I could do it at the age of 38 in Mendrisio [Switzerland, 2009]."

Rebellin passed the New Year in Spain. He will return to Italy January 7 and meet his new team, Diquigiovanni, for a training camp in Terracina five days later.

He plans to start his 18th season as a professional at the Vuelta a Andalucía, in Spain, February 15 to 19, with 5000 kilometers of training already accomplished. His first race in Italy will be the Trofeo Laigueglia on February 21. (GB)