CIPOLLINI: “THIRD HERE IS WORTH A HUNDRED OTHER VICTORIES”

Mario Cipollini was only third in the Tour of California sprint in Sacramento behind Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) but was happy to have proved to himself, his younger rivals and the controversial owner of the Rock Racing team Michael Ball, that he could still be competitive at 40 after three years in retirement.

?I don?t want to seem big headed but I could have won that sprint if Cavendish hadn?t got a gap and the sprint had been straight forward,? Cipollini told Cycling Weekly with a hint of emotion in his voice seconds after crossing the line.

?Everything has been very strange since the very beginning. All of this started in a club in Las Vegas where I met Michael Ball," said Cipollini. "He came up to me, introduced himself and told me about his team. He asked him if I would like to start racing again. I thought he was just another crazy person like a lot of others I?ve met in my career. At the time there were a lot of beautiful women around, so I was more interested in the women than in what Michael Ball had to say but he kept talking and put a lot of pressure on me.?

"It?s hard to get over the jet lag but I?m getting better. After third here perhaps I can move up to second and may be first in Pasedena.?

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TOUR OF CALIFORNIA: STAGE REPORTS

Stage two: Boonen wins in the rain

Stage one: Haedo wins sprint

Prologue: Cancellara wins

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TOUR OF CALIFORNIA: VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Video highlights: stage one

Video highlights: prologue

RELATED LINKS

Tour of California: photo gallery

Cipollini: "Third here is worth a hundred other victories"

Stage two: Cavendish angry after sprint mix-up

Cancellara angry with Hamilton, Sevilla, Botero protests

Cancellara: "I always have to win prologues"

Wiggins and Millar unhappy with prologue rides

Tour of California: preview

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