Last Chance Saloon: 4 Cyclists That Could Be Gone After 2008

Paolo riding for the old Mapei team. Today the same team is known as Quick Step

1. Paolo Bettini, 33, Quick Step: Defending World/Olympic Road Race Champion

Bettini is a dream on the bike. He can break a race open on any given day and lends a charge to any race he enters. He has accomplished almost all that can be accomplished in professional cycling. So it was no wonder that towards the end of last year, Bettini began to drop hints about his possible retirement.

His plan for 2008 is to target both the World Championship and Olympic road race with the hopes of winning both and then riding off into the sunset. Also on his 2008 wish list is the Tour of Flanders, the Belgian classic that would complete his palmares. History tells us though that often athletes change their mind about retirement when the day for them to quit finally arrives. If Bettini becomes the first rider to ever win three world titles in a row, how would he not show off the rainbow bands for a third time? Too, if he comes up short in both the world's and Olympics, wouldn't he want to come back stronger the next season to end his career on a high note?

In one of the only mistakes in his illustrious career, Zabel celebrates prematurely at Milan-San Remo, losing his bid for a record fifth victory in the Italian classic to Oscar Friere, in orange. His future team mate, Pettachi, is to the right in the blue and silver

2. Eric Zabel, 37, Milram

Eric Zabel has firmly established himself, despite his doping confession, as one of the best sprinters in the history of cycling. He has won a record nine Tour de France green points jerseys, as well as four Milan-San Remo's. He has won 13 stages in his home tour of Germany and is an active six day track rider to boot.

Zabel has moved over to team Milram the past couple of years, and he is surely running out the clock. He came oh-so-close to the world title in 2006 in Salzberg, Germany, and then last year was nearly banned from competing due to his doping confession. He can still show himself at the front of any race, but victories will be rare going forward. For Zabel, rejoicing in team wins will be as close as he gets to a podium in 2008. But it was a great run, and I mean a great run.

Julich on the final 1998 Tour de France podium, with Ullrich (left) and Pantani (center). Both the German and the Italian were dopers. Julich probably should have been considered the rightful winner of the 1998 Tour.

3. Bobby Julich, 36, CSC

Bobby Julich finished 3rd overall in the drug-tainted 1998 Tour de France, and his career looked to be headed for stardom. 10 years later all has turned out well, but no one would have predicted the path Bobby Julich took to get where he is today. Originally, many thought Julich would compete with Lance Armstrong as his generation's best rider, but the years were not kind to Bobby, as bad luck and poor career choices almost ended his career after the 2003 season.

Enter Bjarne Riis, the visionary owner of the Danish CSC cycling team. Riis saw emorous potential in Julich, and so signed him in 2004. Since that day, Julich's career has been back on track, with milestone victories in Paris-Nice and the Criterium International in 2005. Today he rides exclusively in suppot of CSC's other excellnt riders, and will probably end his career this year or next. Although not in the same league as Armstrong, Julich will be remembered as a quiet mannered rider who let his riding speak for him.

Simoni climbing to victory in the 2003 Giro. Notice the bike he's on, a Cannondale.

4. Gilberto Simoni, 36, Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni - Androni Giocattoli

Simoni will go down in history alongside such greats as Ivan Gotti, Marco Pantani and Stefano Garzelli as a fiesty Italian rider capapable of changing the dynamics of a race in the high mountain passes. A two-time Giro d' Italia winner, Simoni had the ability to ride away from his competitors with blistering attacks in the mountains. And while he can still climb with the best, he is well past his prime.

In 2008, Simoni will ride for the Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni squad, a continental Italian team. He and his team will likely be invited to the Giro, where he will look to make one final run at the general classification. 2008 will probably see Simoni retire from professional road riding, but he has recently picked up mountain bike marathon riding, which he'll likely continue when his road career is over. A run at rhe 2008 Beijing Olympic summer games is not out of the question either.

All four of the above riders have made their mark in professional cycling, and all will be dearly missed by all cycling fans. Luckly, they'll be replaced by a new crop of dominating athletes. Whether the new group of riders will display the same amount of charisma and determination is another story.