Alessandro Ballan
 Ballan at the2017 Milan–San Remo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alessandro Ballan | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Bontempino | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 November 1979 Castelfranco Veneto,Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Retired | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Classics specialist | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional teams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2009 | Lampre | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | BMC Racing Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Major wins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grand Tours
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Medal record
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Alessandro Ballan(born 6 November 1979 inCastelfranco Veneto,Veneto) is an Italian former professionalroad bicycle racerwho most recently rode forUCI World TourteamBMC Racing Team.He is best known for winning theWorld Road Race Championships, in 2008.[1]Although he possessed a frame that was usually more associated with climbing,[citation needed]Ballan established himself as a leadingspring classicscontender. His nickname,Bontempino,is a diminutive reference toGuido Bontempi,to whom he bears a resemblance.[2]
Career
[edit]Ballan turned professional in 2004 with theLampreteam. Despite a decent amateur career, Ballan was not sought after by professional teams, and required a little bit of help to secure a professional contract.[2]In his first season, Ballan worked as adomestiqueforRomāns VainšteinsandGianluca Bortolami.
2005
[edit]In 2005, Ballan was given the opportunity to aim for high placings in thespring classicsand achieved a stage victory and second overall in theThree Days of De Panne,[3]along with sixth place in theTour of Flanders,[4]having attacked the leading group with 37 km to go. Later in the season, he achieved his firstProTourvictory in taking stage 4 of theEneco Tour of Benelux.[5]
2006
[edit]In 2006, Ballan started his spring classics campaign as a highly rated contender, given his performances in 2005 and his success in the warm-up races in winning theTrofeo Laigueglia,[6]a second place toTom Boonenin theE3 Prijs Vlaanderen[7]and third overall at theTirreno–Adriatico.[8]Ballan was a leading protagonist in the classics: he took fifth at theTour of Flanders[9]and followed this with third atParis–Roubaix,following the disqualifications ofPeter Van Petegem,Vladimir GusevandLeif Hoste.[10]Later in the season, Ballan further proved his talent with a second placing instage 12of theTour de France[11]and a third place overall in theTour de Pologne.[12]Ballan finished in sixth place in the individual rankings of the2006 UCI ProTour.[13]
2007
[edit]In 2007 Ballan suffered a broken collarbone duringTirreno–Adriatico.Despite this injury, Ballan worked hard inMilan–San Remo,although Ballan's teamleaderDaniele Bennatidid not win the race. Nearly two weeks later, Ballan won theThree Days of De Panneafter an escape during stage 1. Ballan did not win the stage, but beat his nearest opponentLuca Paoliniduring the closing time trial, in which Ballan finished 10. On 8 April, Ballan took a prestigious win at theTour of Flandersin a close sprint finish ahead of local favouriteLeif HosteofBelgium.Ballan is the first Italian to win theTour of Flandersand theThree Days of De Pannein the same season. On 19 August he won theVattenfall Cyclassicswith an attack in the final kilometer, holding off all of the sprinters, including former winnerÓscar Freireand promising young German sprinterGerald Ciolek,to take his second one-day classic of the season.
2008
[edit]
His spring of 2008 wasn't as prolific as 2007 although he was involved in the decisive break ofParis–Roubaixand rode hard to a third place behind past winnersTom BoonenandFabian Cancellaratogether with whom he entered theRoubaix Velodromelosing out in a sprint to the line. This came a week after a fourth place in defence of hisTour of Flanderscrown. He again opted to skip his home tour – theGiro d'Italia,but raced in both the other grand tours – theTour de Franceand theVuelta a España,winning a mountain stage and wearing the leader's jersey in the latter.[14]
In September 2008 Ballan won theUCI Road Race World Championships.In a race in which 2007 champion and Italian team matePaolo Bettiniwas favourite, Ballan was again involved in the decisive break on the final lap of the undulatingVaresecircuit. From a group of 12 riders, including 2 Italian team matesDamiano CunegoandDavide Rebellin,Ballan attacked from 1500 metres out and held off the sprint to win by 3 seconds in front of his home crowd.[1]
2009
[edit]
As if suffering from thecurse of the rainbow jersey,Ballan was diagnosed withcytomegalovirusin March 2009 and as a result was unable to contest that year's Spring Classics and Giro. During theTour de Francehe had an average performance, only coming into the picture in the 19th stage as part of a breakaway which was caught before the finish line.[15]
In August 2009, he won theTour of Poland.[16]Ballan signed withBMC Racing Teamfor the 2010 season.[17]
2012
[edit]
At theTour of Flandersin April, Ballan placed third after initiating a break with 25 km to go. Boonen and Pozzato took up the chase and placed ahead of Ballan in the final sprint.[18]In December, Ballan suffered a severe training crash during a descent as he was riding with his team in Spain. He fractured his leftfemur,broke a rib and ruptured hisspleen,which had to be removed. He spent a little more than a week in intensive care.[19]
Doping sanction
[edit]Ballan is one of 27 people indicted in Italy as part of theMantova doping investigation.In 2010 when the enquiry was announced he was subsequently suspended by the BMC cycling team.[20]He was later cleared by BMC and allowed to race again on 28 May 2010.[21]In November 2013 it was reported that CONI were seeking a 2-year ban for violation of article 2.2 of theWADAcode.[22]
In January 2014, CONI handed Ballan a two-year suspension. His contract withBMC Racing Teamwas subsequently terminated.[23]
Late 2015, his suspension was overturned in court, and Ballan was cleared of any wrongdoing.[24]
In 2016, Ballan had attempted to get a contract as professional cyclist, but was unable to do so and thus retired.[25]
Career achievements
[edit]Major results
[edit]- 2001
- 3rdTrofeo Città di San Vendemiano
- 2003
- 1stTrofeo Zsšdi
- 2nd OverallGiro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia
- 2ndCircuito del Porto
- 3rdTrofeo Gianfranco Bianchin
- 4thTrofeo Città di Brescia
- 2005(2 pro wins)
- 1st Stage 4Eneco Tour
- 2nd OverallThree Days of De Panne
- 1st Stage 1
- 3rdClassic Haribo
- 6thTour of Flanders
- 2006(1)
- 1stTrofeo Laigueglia
- 2ndE3 Prijs Vlaanderen
- 3rd OverallTirreno–Adriatico
- 3rd OverallTour de Pologne
- 3rdParis–Roubaix
- 4thRoad race,National Road Championships
- 4thMilano–Torino
- 4th Trofeo Città di Borgomanero
- 5thTour of Flanders
- 8th OverallEneco Tour
- 8thMilan–San Remo
- 2007(3)
- 1st
OverallThree Days of De Panne - 1stTour of Flanders
- 1stVattenfall Cyclassics
- 4thClásica de San Sebastián
- 5th OverallTour de Pologne
- 1st Stage 1 (TTT)
- 8thFirenze–Pistoia
- 9thCoppa Sabatini
- 2008(2)
- 1st
Road race,UCI Road World Championships - Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 7
- Held
&after Stage 7 - Held
after Stages 7–8
- 2ndGP Ouest-France
- 2ndMonte Paschi Eroica
- 3rdParis–Roubaix
- 4thTour of Flanders
- 4thCoppa Bernocchi
- 7th OverallThree Days of De Panne
- 7thGiro del Piemonte
- 2009(2)
- 1st
OverallTour de Pologne
- 1st Stage 5
- 3rd OverallGiro di Sardegna
- 5thTrofeo Laigueglia
- 2010
- 3rdRoad race,National Road Championships
- 5th OverallTour de Pologne
- 6thGrand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- 10thGrand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 2011
- 2ndMontepaschi Strade Bianche
- 4thMilan–San Remo
- 6thParis–Roubaix
- 7thTrofeo Laigueglia
- 2012(2)
- 1stGiro di Toscana
- 1st Stage 7Eneco Tour
- 1st Stage 1 (TTT)Giro del Trentino
- 2nd
Team time trial,UCI Road World Championships - 3rdParis–Roubaix
- 3rdTour of Flanders
- 4thStrade Bianche
- 8thMilan–San Remo
- 9thE3 Harelbeke
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
[edit]| Grand Tour | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | 103 | — |
| Tour de France
|
67 | 88 | 94 | 95 | 87 | — | — | — |
 Vuelta a España
|
— | — | DNF | DNF | — | — | 63 | — |
Classics results timeline
[edit]| Monument | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan–San Remo | — | 52 | 8 | 55 | 16 | — | 64 | 4 | 8 | — |
| Tour of Flanders | 82 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | — | 35 | 12 | 3 | — |
| Paris–Roubaix | DNF | 47 | 3 | 61 | 3 | — | — | 6 | 3 | — |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | DNF | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Giro di Lombardia | — | DNF | 56 | DNF | 14 | 29 | — | — | — | — |
Major championship results timeline
[edit]| Championship | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships
|
— | — | 88 | 52 | 1 | 41 | — | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
References
[edit]- ^abAtkins, Ben; Brown, Gregor; Friebe, Daniel; Kröner, Hedwig (28 September 2009)."Ballan crowned new King of Italy".Cycling News.Future Publishing Limited.Retrieved3 January2013.
- ^abMaloney, Tim (7 April 2005)."Ballan following in Bartoli's footsteps?".Cyclingnews.com – First Edition Cycling News for 7 April 2005.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"KBC Driedaagse van De Panne-Koksijde Results".31 March 2005.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"89th Tour of Flanders Results".3 April 2005.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"1st Eneco Tour of Benelux Results".10 August 2005.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"43rd Trofeo Laigueglia Results".14 February 2006.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"49th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen Results".27 September 2006.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"41st Tirreno-Adriatico Results".14 March 2006.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"90th Tour of Flanders Results".2 April 2006.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"104th Paris-Roubaix Results".9 April 2006.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"93rd Tour de France, Stage 12 Results".14 July 2006.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"63rd Tour of Poland Results".10 September 2006.Retrieved27 September2006.
- ^"UCI ProTour Individual Rankings as of 2006-10-14".12 December 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 13 November 2008.Retrieved12 December2006.
- ^"www.cyclingnews.com presents the 63rd Vuelta a España".
- ^"World Champion Ballan on track in Roubaix".
- ^"Italy's Ballan wins Tour of Poland".AFP.9 August 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 24 January 2013.Retrieved10 August2009.
- ^VeloNews.com (1 September 2009)."Hincapie confirms to BMC with Ballan, Kroon, Burghardt".VeloNews. Archived fromthe originalon 3 September 2009.Retrieved2 September2009.
- ^Decaluwé, Brecht (1 April 2012)."Boonen wins 2012 Tour of Flanders".Cycling News.Future Publishing Limited.Retrieved2 April2012.
- ^Ben Atkins (28 December 2012)."Alessandro Ballan out of intensive care following leg and abdomen surgery".Velo Nation.Velo Nation LLC.Retrieved29 December2012.
- ^"Lampre refuses to suspend riders over Mantova investigation".10 April 2010.
- ^"BMC Racing Team: Statement Regarding Alessandro Ballan".Archived fromthe originalon 9 June 2010.
- ^"Doping: Procura Coni deferisce Ballan - Altri Sport - Tuttosport".Archived fromthe originalon 22 February 2014.Retrieved14 November2013.
- ^Wynn, Nigel (17 January 2014)."Alessandro Ballan sacked by BMC after doping ban".Cycling Weekly.IPC Media.Retrieved18 January2014.
- ^"Lampre riders and staff cleared in Mantova doping trial".cyclingnews.com. 18 December 2015.
- ^"Voormalig wereldkampioen Ballan keert niet meer terug in peloton"[Former world champion Ballan does not return in peloton] (in Dutch). nu.nl. 4 March 2016.Retrieved3 June2018.
External links
[edit]
- Alessandro BallanatUCI
- Alessandro BallanatCycling Archives
- Interview Alessandro Ballan (2013)
- Team ProfileArchived7 May 2006 at theWayback Machine
- Eurosport Profile
- Alessandro Ballanat theCONIhonored athlete website(in Italian)
