Italian Alessandro Petacchi won the 101st edition of the Paris-Tours classic, outsprinting compatriot Francesco Chicchi and Spaniard Oscar Freire in the mass sprint finale.

Led out by his German Milram team-mate Eric Zabel, a four-time Paris-Tours winner, Petacchi easily beat out Chicchi in the final sprint.

"I wish to thank Erik Zabel who sacrificed his chances for me. It's always great to win a race when you're helped by such a great champion," said Petacchi, whose only previous win in such a classic was in the Milan-San Remo two years ago.

The Italian had lost a chance at victory in the one-day classic to Zabel in 2003 when the two were rival sprinters racing for different teams.

"In a way, I'm glad Erik won in 2003 and that I did today. 2003 was a great lesson because I had attacked from too far," said Petacchi, who has now won 130 mass sprints in his career.

"This time I shortened the sprint. We waited for the last 250 metres and went exactly at the right time," he said.

Former three-time world champion Freire was third after being impeded in the sprint with Dutchman Steven De Jongh and Australians Allan Davis and Robbie McEwen finishing next.

Paris-Tours, the penultimate ProTour race of the season, began at altitude for the first three hours of racing as the sprinters' teams controlled the pace.

Despite several breakaway attempts, including a nearly successful last-ditch effort by Philippe Gilbert, Karsten Kroon and Filippo Pozzato with eight kilometres left to ride, the 256-km long race known as the "sprinter's classic" always seemed destined for yet another mass sprint finale.

In claiming the final sprint, Petacchi won his second major classic adding to his 2005 Milan-Sanremo triumph.

Petacchi also had his 2006 season hampered by a knee injury but he warned he was back to his best: "For the first time since 2006, I'm in my best form. I hope to take advantage of this for the end of the season and the beginning of the next."

AFP