When Alessandro Petacchi was deemed surplus to requirements by Omega Pharma-QuickStep at the tail-end of last season, it appeared as though his career had come to an end. Soon to turn 41 and with a shrinking number of berths available on other teams, it was logical to assume that his brief spell in Mark Cavendish’s retinue might prove to be Petacchi’s professional swan song.
In early January, however, the team formerly known as YellowFluo, unveiled a new sponsor, Chinese steel concern Southeast, some rather more sober grey colours and a high-profile arrival in the shape of Petacchi. Shortly afterwards, the squad was confirmed among the wildcard invitations to this year’s Giro d'Italia, despite the positive tests of Danilo Di Luca, Mauro Santambrogio and Marco Rabottini in the past two seasons.
Petacchi, currently in action at the Tour of Turkey, has raced sparingly thus far in 2015, but he will be the marquee name in Southeast’s Giro d'Italia line-up and almost certainly the oldest rider in the field at the corsa rosa when it gets underway in San Remo on May 9.
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“I’m looking to build up as best I can. My condition is only ok right now, but I feel quite good, and so long as it continues to improve, then I'll be happy,” Petacchi told Cyclingnews recently.
Petacchi has won 22 Giro stages in his 13 appearances to date, though he was stripped of five more following his positive test for salbutamol during the 2007 race. In 2004, Petacchi clocked up a remarkable nine stage victories but Angelo Zomegnan’s arrival as race director the following year saw opportunities for the sprinters gradually recede. By 2011, when Petacchi claimed the last of his stage wins in Parma, there were just three bona fide bunch sprints, though he startled by almost claiming the uphill sprint finish in Fiuggi. That year marked the end of Zomegnan’s reign, and under the stewardship of first Michele Acquarone and now Mauro Vegni, the sprinters have been afforded more amenable terrain and more sprint finishes.
“I think there could be six sprint stages or so this year,” Petacchi said. “And beyond that, there’s always the chance of some tougher stages that could end up with a reduced peloton 80 or 90 riders sprinting it out. But for sure there’ll be six or seven chances for the sprinters, which is about the usual.”
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