Cipollini is arguably the greatest pure road sprinter in the history of the sport. If you look at his longevity and the breadth of his victories, not many can rival him. Darrigade in the fifties and sixties is one possibly. Cipo has been winning stages in major tours since 1989. He has won classics and a world title. Other sprinters have come and gone and been as brilliant as him, but no one has maintained that level for anywhere near as long as he has. Abdujapourov, Maertens, Basso, Van Linden, Poblet and the like have been good for a time, but none rival Cipo. Zabel has been as consistent but he was never as fast as Cipo.
Petacchi is the new sprinter par excellence but he has a long way to go to match the man. If he can maintain this pace for another eight to nine years and win a few classics, he will get there. The times that Fassa have delivered him to the line in a classic that should suit him, he has failed to deliver!