Quick exit for Petacchi

Petacchi had hinted at withdrawal when he said he didn't feel as strong physically as during the Giro where he won six other stages. But that statement was made before blowing away the competition in consecutive sprint stage wins on Thursday and Friday.

"Never did I think I would drop out in these conditions," he told Eurosport after being shuttled to the finish line in Morzine Saturday. "I knew conditions weren't optimal for me and after 10km, I understood there was no use in going on. I deeply regret it."

Petacchi's withdrawal sparked controversy. Interviewed by Eurosport France live just after Petacchi got in a team car, Fassa Bortolo boss Giancarlo Ferretti openly vented his wrath after making two other team-mates wait for him:

"It's crazy. We did everything possible to prevent this retirement. He quit while trailing [the pack] by what a minute, a minute-and-a-half. I don't understand. He wasn't ill before the stage started."

While Petacchi has spent the entire complaining that the press tries too hard to compare him to Italy's undisputed sprint king, Mario Cipollini, there's no doubt that his withdrawal will only fuel the comparisons.

After all, Cipollini won 12 stages on the Tour de France, but never once finished the race.

Fans have been quick to clamour for sanctions against Petacchi.

"The only sanction you can take is to not invite the team the next year. That's what happened with Cipollini," explains two-time Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon, an analyst on the Tour for Eurosport.

He agreed with the unabashed anger expressed by Petacchi's team boss on our airwaves. "Ferretti seems to feel that Petacchi didn't want to make the effort. It's a lack of respect for the race and for himself. Ferretti seems to think that Petacchi could have made an effort at least today. It's not that hard a stage."

But for Petacchi, it's one thing to sprint, another to climb.

"I finished the Giro exhausted, especially after my fall in the time trial. I didn't prepare the Tour the way I would have liked. I'm proud of the four stages I won here and wish I could have done more."

What about the Vuelta?

"My intent is to prepare it properly. If I ride a major Tour, I want to ride it all the way. I'm deeply sorry about having to leave here in this manner."