PARIS, March 25 - World and Olympic champion Paolo
Bettini said on Tuesday he would miss the Tour of Flanders
because he would not be in good enough condition for the
prestigious Belgian cycling classic on April 6.
The Italian, who rides for Belgian team Quick Step, will
instead take part in the Tour of the Basque country to prepare
for later one-day classics such as Liege-Bastogne-Liege, which
takes place on April 27.
"It's a difficult decision ... but to be competitive on this
type of very demanding race, you need to be 100 percent. At this
time I cannot give this kind of guarantee to my team," Bettini
said in a statement.
Bettini, 33, has never won the Tour of Flanders and his
style is better suited to classics like Liege-Bastogne-Liege,
which he won in 2000 and 2002.
(Editing by Sonia Oxley)