Team Milram sprinter Alessandro Petacchi won the fourth stage of the Italian race Tirreno-Adriatico (12th to 18th March) and secured his sixth success during this spring. The 34-year old Ligurian, riding for the German ProTour team, thus got his revenge on former world champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank) for the defeat in the opening stage and beat the Spaniard in a photo finish. In the final hundred metres, the Ligurian was supported by his German team mate Erik Zabel, who lead him into a perfect position. After 166 kilometres between Porto Recanati and Civitanova Marche, Petacchi’s compatriot Filippo Pozzato of Team Liquigas placed third. For the pro cycling team MILRAM, it was the seventh victory this year.

“My thanks go to my team mates, who led me into a perfect position in the finale. Especially Erik Zabel has given me support on the last metres,” said a happy „Ale-Jet“ about his sixth win of the season. “Things were a bit tense on the final climb before the finish, but the MILRAM express once more did a great job.”

Several riders had got into a breakaway on the last climb eight kilometres away from the finish. But Team MILRAM worked hard to keep their captain in a winning position. During the finale, the MILRAM-express demonstrated all its class and led Petacchi to success.

In the general classification, the Swede Niklas Axelsson (Diquigiovanni Androni) defended his lead successfully.

Sunday’s stage will be an individual time trial of 26 kilometres from  Macerata to Recanati. On Tuesday, the seven-day stage race will finish in San Benedetto del Tronto after having covered 1,122 kilometers.

Stage 4: March 15, 2008: Porto Recanati - Civitanova Marche (165 km):
1 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Team Milram       03:59:58
2 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Rabobank                                                     
3 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Liquigas                                                        
4 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team High Road                                                    
5 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                                         
6 Daniele Pietropolli (Ita) LPR Brakes                                                  
7 Enrico Gasparotto (Ita) Barloworld                                                    
8 Ariel Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) CSF Group Navigare                                    
9 Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                                  
10 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step                                                          
11 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                                         
12 Alexander Serov (Rus) Tinkoff Credit Systems                                         
13 Markus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner                                                     
14 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC                                                     
15 Niklas Axelsson (Swe) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli                
16 Pedro Horrillo Munoz (Spa) Rabobank                                                  
17 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone                                  
18 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram                                                         
19 Paolo Longo Borghini (Ita) Barloworld                                                
20 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Rabobank                                                   
21 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Team High Road                                                 
22 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team CSC                                                     
23 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Quick Step                                                   
24 Matti Breschel (Den) Team CSC                                                        
25 Emanuele Sella (Ita) CSF Group Navigare                                              
26 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Silence - Lotto                                                  
27 Gabriele Missaglia (Ita) Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli             
28 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) Team High Road                                                 
29 George Hincapie (USA) Team High Road                                                 
30 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Slipstream Chipotle Presented By H30                            
31 Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) AG2r - La Mondiale                                              
32 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre                                                       
33 Francisco Javier Vila Errandonea (Spa) Lampre                                        
34 Jussi Veikkanen (Fin) Française des Jeux                                             
35 Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence