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Alessandro Ballan

Alessandro Ballan
Allesandro Ballan by Sławek (cropped).jpg
Ballan at the 2009 Tour de Pologne
Personal information
Full name Alessandro Ballan
Nickname Bontempino
Born (1979-11-06) 6 November 1979 (age 37)
Castelfranco Veneto, Italy
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 68 kg (150 lb)
Team information
Current team Suspended
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type Classics specialist
Professional team(s)
2004–2009 Lampre
2010–2014 BMC Racing Team
Major wins

Grand Tours

Vuelta a España
1 individual stage (2008)

Stage races

Driedaagse van De Panne (2007)
Tour de Pologne (2009)

One-day races and Classics

Tour of Flanders (2007)
Vattenfall Cyclassics (2007)
World Road Race Champion (2008)

Grand Tours

Stage races

One-day races and Classics

Alessandro Ballan (born 6 November 1979 in Castelfranco Veneto, Veneto) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for UCI World Tour team BMC Racing Team. He is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships, in 2008. Although he possesses a frame that is usually more associated with climbing, Ballan has established himself as a leading spring classics contender in recent years. His nickname, Bontempino, is a diminutive reference to Guido Bontempi, to whom he bears a resemblance.

Ballan turned professional in 2004 with the Lampre team. 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. In his first season, Ballan worked as a domestique for Romāns Vainšteins and Gianluca Bortolami.

In 2005, Ballan was given the opportunity to aim for high placings in the spring classics and achieved a stage victory and second overall in the Three Days of De Panne, along with sixth place in the Tour of Flanders, having attacked the leading group with 37 km to go. Later in the season, he achieved his first ProTour victory in taking stage 4 of the Eneco Tour of Benelux.


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Wikipedia

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