Alessandro Petacchi hopes a return to form at the Tour of Qatar will help him erase a disappointing 2006 campaign that saw him riddled with injuries.

The Milram sprinter will bring his full train to the desert race (January 28 to February 2) with ambitions of snagging a victory and boosting his confidence ahead of what the “gentleman sprinter" hopes will be a comeback season.

“I want to regain the sensations I had at the beginning of last year. I’ve had a good training block and I am motivated for the coming season,” Petacchi said. “I haven’t been able to raise my arms in victory since last May.”

Petacchi was forced to abandon last year’s Giro d’Italia after fracturing his kneecap in a disastrous crash on rough, rainy roads on stage three. Ale-Jet returned to competition in August and seemed on track to win a stage in the Vuelta a España when he fractured his hand after punching a team bus in frustration after being boxed out in a sprint in stage 15.

The Italian sprinter is ambitious for 2007, setting his sights on victory at Milan-San Remo (which he won in 2005) as well as winning stages in all three grand tours, a feat he achieved in 2003.

Joining Petacchi in Qatar will be key riders in his set-up train, including Marco Velo, Fabio Sacchi, Alberto Ongarato, Marcel Sieberg, Christian Knees, Alessandro Cortinovis and Volodymyr Diudia.

Lefevere in hot seat, promises huge lawsuit
Quick Step-Innergetic manager Patrick Lefevere promises aggressive legal action against allegations of doping practices going back 30 years published by Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws on Tuesday.

Lefevere called the allegations “complete nonsense and bullshit” and told Belgian radio he will sue the newspaper for 50 million euros

“Their charges are very serious but the bill I will pass them will also be biting,” Lefevere told Belgian radio VRT. “I have worked hard for 25 years and I am negotiating with various sponsors and I hope to sign them until 2011 with a four-year option. That’s worth 50 million euros.”

On Tuesday, the Belgian daily ran a three-page spread using named and anonymous sources outlining what it alleges was organized doping within teams Lefevere has been linked with.

While Lefevere admitted to taking amphetamines as a racer, he discarded other allegations issued by the newspaper. Lefevere pointed out that one of the named sources, ex-rider Luc Capelle, is under investigation for murder and said it’s easy for anonymous sources to come forward in what he portrayed as a smear campaign.

Lefevere heavily denied allegations that the Mapei team, where he was a sport director in 1990s, was involved in organized doping. He insisted the team instituted its own internal controls and medical program to monitor riders.

The news came just as former classics rider Johan Museeuw admitted to “errors” on the eve of his doping trial in Belgium.

“In my last year of racing, I made an error, I didn't race faithfully,” Museeuw said in a press conference, the first time the 1996 world road race champion has admitted taking drugs. “I wanted to finish my career in style, which pushed me to not play the game honestly.”

Lefevere continued to support Museeuw and kept him on the team’s payroll despite the pending charges as well as a racing ban handed down after Museeuw retired.

Lefevere could find himself in a pickle if Belgian authorities decide to investigate the allegations laid down by the newspaper. As president of the professional teams association, Lefevere has been a big supporter of the ProTour Ethics Code, which calls for riders to be sidelined while under investigation. He also heavily criticized Manolo Saiz, ex-manager of Liberty Seguros, as well as Floyd Landis and Discovery Channel for signing Ivan Basso.

Lefevere is scheduled to be in Geneva this week to meet with his fellow ProTour colleagues and it will be interesting to see what kind of support he receives.

Reports hint at Beloki’s retirement
Spanish climber Joseba Beloki may retire, having found himself unable to join a team following the dissolution of Liberty Seguros in the wake of the Operación Puerto doping investigation.

The Italian wire service ANSA reported that Beloki, 33, will hang up his cleats this season. The Basque rider admitted earlier this year he hasn’t been able to secure a contract for 2007 and was mulling retirement.

Beloki finished three times on the Tour de France podium during Lance Armstrong’s seven-year run. Third in 2000 and 2001, he rose to second in 2002. He’s perhaps best remembered for his horrific crash in the 2003 Tour when he fractured his hip on a descent into Gap. It’s the same incident that sent Armstrong picking his way across a hay field only to remount his bike and go on to win a fifth Tour.

Beloki struggled to regain his winning form and was released from a million-dollar contract by French team La Brioches in 2004 over allegations that he took an asthma medication banned in France but allowed under UCI rules.

He rejoined mentor Manolo Saiz at Liberty Seguros in 2005, but never regained the confidence and fitness to challenge for the Tour podium. Although cleared of charges in the Puerto investigation, Beloki is one of several riders now facing unemployment after the team shut down in the wake of scandal.

Ag2r dreams of repeating ‘06 glory
French team Ag2r is hoping to repeat its successes of 2006 and will peg its hopes on French riders Christophe Moreau and Cyril Dessel.

After dumping Spanish rider Francisco Mancebo for his implication in the Puerto investigation, the team enjoyed success in last year’s Tour de France when Dessel finished in the top 10 and carried the yellow jersey.

“We are going to try to recreate these moments of intense emotion, but we know it will be difficult,” Dessel said during the team’s presentation Tuesday. Moreau, meanwhile, says he dreams of winning a mountain stage and challenging for the best climber’s jersey.

Seven new riders come to the team, including Martin Elmiger, fresh off winning the Tour Down Under. Returning riders include Sylvain Calzati, winner of a Tour stage last year, French attacker Samuel Dumoulin and promising climber John Gadret.

Ag2r for 2007:
Sylvain Calzati (F)
Cyril Dessel, (F)
Renaud Dion, (F)
Samuel Dumoulin, (F)
Hubert Dupont, (F)
John Gadret, (F)
Stéphane Goubert, (F)
Julien Loubet, (F)
Laurent Mangel, (F)
Lloyd Mondory, (F)
Christophe Moreau, (F)
Carl Naibo, (F)
Jean-Patrick Nazon, (F)
Stéphane Poulhies, (F)
Christophe Riblon, (F)
Nicolas Rousseau, (F)
Blaise Sonnery, (F)
Ludovic Turpin, (F)
José Luis Arrieta, (Sp)
David Navas, (Sp)
Philip Deignan, (Irl)
Martin Elmiger, (Swi)
Simon Gerrans, (Aus)
Yuriy Krivtsov, (Ukr)
René Mandri, (Est)
Rinaldo Nocentini, (Ita)
Alexandre Usov, (Blr)

Spanish government wants closure to Pereiro case
Spanish sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky on Tuesday urged the French government to settle the Oscar Pereiro doping case as soon as possible.

Spaniard Pereiro finished second in last year's Tour de France, a result that could mean an overall victory if American Floyd Landis’s positive result for an elevated testosterone/epitestosterone ratio is upheld through the review process.

However, last week the French anti-doping agency, AFLD, leaked information to reporters at France’s Le Monde newspaper, which disclosed that Pereiro had twice tested positive for the banned substance salbutamol during the '06 Tour. The drug is often administered via an inhaler for asthma sufferers as a means of relaxing and expanding bronchial passages.

The French lab reported traces of the drug in the Spaniard’s urine sample after the 14th and 16th stages of the Tour. While Pereiro has maintained that he has a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for salbutamol, the UCI has since criticized him for not promptly sending off the medical documents that legitimized use of the drug.

The request by Lissavetzky, who backed Pereiro completely and described the affair as a "storm in a teacup," was made to a representative of French counterpart Jean-Francois Lamour during a meeting in Madrid.

On Monday, Pereiro said he had been treated unfairly by Le Monde and asked the Spanish government to sue the French daily.
- By AFP