Already the Italian has ridden to the fore in major World Cup races in the current campaign.

He was 13th in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and followed that up with fourth in the Amstel Gold Cup, to leave him third overall in the world rankings behind only Erik Zabel and Lance Armstrong.

The 31-year-old has been a professional cyclist since 1992. He represented Italy at the Barcelona Olympics and shared a room with Fabio Casartelli.

Casartelli later died during the 1995 Tour de France after a crash, which emotionally affected Rebellin.

Rebellin's first major foray came at the 1996 Giro, where he won the Monte Sirino stage and picked up the leader's pink jersey in the process.

He eventually cracked in the mountains and had to settle for sixth overall.

He proved that success was not a flash in the pan the following season when he won the San Sebastian Classic and the Swiss Grand Prix.

The Italian continued to flourish before the 2001 season - arguably his best ever - when he won 11 races and finished the second in third place in the world rankings.

He has since maintained that position in the UCI rankings and looks a solid bet for a stage win in France.