Freire wins in Ruta
Oscar Freire drove home the bunch Monday to win the second stage of the Ruta del Sol, a 156.6km stage from Vegas del Genil to Cazorla in southern Spain.

The three-time world champion held off Francisco José Ventoso (Saunier Duval-Prodir) in the mass sprint to snag his second win of the 2007 season. The Rabobank sprinter, who just missed victory in Sunday’s opener after Dario Cioni (Predictor-Lotto) held off a long breakaway, clawed within one second of Cioni’s lead thanks to time bonuses. The race continues Tuesday with the third stage.

Hamilton satisfied, eyes Georgia start
Just days after learning that Tinkoff Credit Systems earned a berth to the 2007 Giro d’Italia, Tyler Hamilton is hoping his comeback detours through the Tour de Georgia in April.

The Russo-Italian squad already has the Georgia stage race on its team calendar, though the official roster of teams has yet to be formally announced. Speaking to reporters following Sunday’s finale at the Tour Mediterranean, Hamilton said Georgia would be ideal preparation ahead of the May 12 start of the Giro.

"I think so, I’d like to," he said on the team’s web page. "I hope [to race Georgia], it’s well-positioned on the calendar, just a couple weeks before the Italian grand tour."

Hamilton — who returned to competition earlier this month with a pair of French stage races after serving a two-year racing ban — said he’s feeling better than he could have hoped.

"Actually it feels even better than I expected. The form is not bad and getting better," Hamilton said. " It’s an excellent training plus racing, an opportunity to accumulate racing kilometers. Everything [is going] according to the plan. Today I tried to help the team, to ride for the leaders, and sometimes it worked. The more I ride with these guys, the more I see that the team is really strong."

The team also reported that Hamilton crashed without serious injuries in the second stage of the Med Tour. The team is scheduled to start a mix of one-day semi-classics before its next major event with Tirreno-Adriatico March 14-20 in Italy.

Simoni to race marathon World Cup; Houffalize XC
Two-time Giro d’Italia champion Gilberto Simoni will take his first serious step toward earning a berth on the Italian Olympic mountain bike team by starting a pair of World Cup events this spring.

Saunier Duval-Prodir officials confirmed to VeloNews that Simoni would start a World Cup marathon in Spain’s Canary Islands on March 17 and then the Houffalize cross-country event in April.

The 35-year-old has expressed interest in making a run at Olympic gold during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Summer Games and thinks his best chance will be on fat tires instead of the road. The veteran Italian has enjoyed recent success off road, including victory in the Italian national marathon championship last year.

"It’s likely he’ll race more (mountain bike) events. To switch to mountain bikes could be possible after finishing the 2008 Giro, but that’s still to be decided," Saunier Duval press officer David García told VeloNews. "His dream is to participate in the Beijing Olympics in mountain bike, but right now it’s more of a dream than a reality. This year he wants to know if it’s possible."

Simoni – who is recovering from a bout with the flu that him kept out of the Mallorca Challenge last week – remains firmly committed to winning a third Giro crown. Despite his foray into mountain biking, Simoni says he still believes he can win another Giro this year. Petacchi honing form at Algarve
Milram’s Alessandro Petacchi will continue to hone his form ahead of the season’s first major date at Milan-San Remo with a trip to southern Portugal for the Volta ao Algarve February 21-25.

The hilly route, mild temperatures and 949km course will help the Italian sprinter regain his kick ahead of La Primavera. Petacchi will also work new members of his Milram train into the program.

Petacchi put behind him a frustrating 2006 campaign, which included a knee injury and then a broken finger after punching a team bus in frustration at the Vuelta a España, with a victory earlier this month at the GP Costa degli Etruschi.

Milram for Volta ao Algarve
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Cortinovis
Volodymyr Diudia
Alberto Ongarato
Björn Schröder
Fabio Sacchi
Marcel Sieberg
Marco Velo

Pozzato optimistic for Laigueglia
Two-time champion Filippo Pozzato is hopeful for some winning form for the 44th Trofeo Laigueglia on Tuesday despite battling through a rotten gut that zapped his strength in Spain.

Pozzato, a Laigueglia winner in 2003 and 2004, says he’s feeling better after suffering at the Mallorca Challenge last week in Spain.

"Unfortunately, last week I came back from the Challenge de Mallorca with a bothersome intestinal virus that weakened me," Pozzato said in a team release. "Now I feel better and my good form is confirmed by the training that I have made this morning. The Laigueglia is certainly an important appointment. I hope to ride as protagonist."

Liquigas for 44th Trofeo Laigueglia
Filippo Pozzato
Danilo Di Luca
Vincenzo Nibali
Leonardo Bertagnolli
Roman Kreuziger
Andrea Noè
Roberto Petito
Alessandro Spezialetti