Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) has “no excuses” to not perform well in the Classics this year, he told Gazetta dello Sport.

“I’m working very well, but I don’t want to make big declarations. I have to go well on the bike and not in my words,”

“In 2013, I put on a very bad show, and that won’t happen again. I’d have to have a broken leg to go worse than that again. In those two races [the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix], I have to be in front and in contention, I simply don’t have any excuses. Cancellara and Boonen have shown a lot more than me these past few years, but I feel I can beat them.”

Pozzato has always been a very good Classics rider, but at 32 and only a Milan-Sanremo (2006), E3 (2009) and GP Plouay (2013) as major one day victories on his palmares, as well as second place in Flanders (2012) and Roubaix (2009), he appears to be in serious danger of not delivering on his promise, despite having an enviable palmares.

With the insertion of the Pompeiana climb in Sanremo, he hopes the race will tilt back towards a rider of his capabilities:

“I’ve already seen the Pompeiana several times,” he said. “It will change things a lot. There won’t be any let up in the last 45 minutes, but I don’t think that it will eliminate me from contention.”

He will start his season in San Luis and build up to what he hopes will be a successful Classics campaign that will reassure the world that Pozzato is still one of the best in the field at one day races.