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Alessandro Ballan, Lampre-Fondital

5 May 2006

Signor Spring

 

Maybe you first noticed Alessandro Ballan (26) when he rocketed out of the Sanremo peloton on the Poggio, or maybe it was when he won the Trofeo Laigueglia on Valentine's Day. Either way he was making his name known this spring with stunning form. This same Italian also showed amazing strength with a third overall in the Tirreno-Adriatico and with a Classics campaign that included a fifth place in the Tour of Flanders and a third in Paris-Roubaix. BiciRace.com spoke with Ballan during his deserved break from racing to find out more about his life and his time in the North.

La Bicicletta

BiciRace.com:  Ciao Alessandro. Have you visited BiciRace.com? We have had interviews with your teammates, Cunego and Bennati.
Alessandro Ballan:  I am sorry, but I am not an internet expert. However, the first chance I get I will look at BiciRace.com.
BR:  Thanks! So tell us, how did you discover cycling? Was cycling in the family?
AB:  No. No one in the family was a cyclist. I was the first to start: when I was nine years-old I asked my dad to fix and ready this old road bike. After being able to ride the bike a little, I saw that I really liked it and so I joined a local club in my area (Castel Franco Veneto), il Giorgione. So, from there I started to race and I understood that that cycling was my true passion.
BR:  What was your first bike? The one that your dad fixed?
AB:  Yes, it was an old road bike.
BR:  Which color was it?
AB:  It was red.
BR:  What color is your BMW X5!? [Laughs]
AB:  [Laughs.] It is black.
BR:  And now you ride on an Italian Wilier le Roi. How do you like the Wilier?
AB:  The Wilier is excellent! Also, in my first year as a professional I rode on a Wilier. It is really a bicycle without a flaw; I could not ask for more!
BR:  Did Wilier give you a special frame to use on the pavé in Paris-Roubaix?
AB:  Yes, I used an all-steel frame, with the rear-stays elongated by 1.5cm. And I had two brake-levers for the rear. [One with the shifter, and the other on the top of the handlebars.]
BR:  Do you have any special (non-team) equipment you like to use when you ride or training?
AB:  No, I use just the standard equipment from the team, which works very well.

From Sanremo to Hell

BR:  Congratulations on your win in the Trofeo Laigueglia in February. Did that win help your morale, and legs, with the Classics?
AB:  It absolutely helped me: I was not thinking of winning so early in the season, I did not expect to be in such form, but then I snatched this beautiful win. The success contributed to my good morale to confront the Classics with maximum commitment.
BR:  Besides your win in la Corsa Ligure, what was your best moment racing this spring?
AB:  For sure it was the third place at Roubaix and the fifth at Flanders: the most beautiful and important moments of my career as a cyclist.
BR:  Those were excellent finishes. Back to Sanremo... You launched the race winning move, which helped Filippo Pozzato (Quick-Step) go on to the win. Do you think that if Pozzato contributed to the escape you might have had more energy to win the race?
AB:  Since at the finish I was able to relaunch for a good sprint, I think that I would have had more energy and would have been able to fight out for the win. If Filippo had collaborated I certainly would have had a spot on the podium, but I understand that Pozzato had received orders not to pull: That was just the logic of the race.
BR:  Yes, it was clear what Quick-Step were up to. Are you satisfied with your eighth place?
AB:  I am more content and proud of my attack on the Poggio, with which I profoundly altered the outcome of the race. It was really a beautiful move... I went very strong.
BR:  It was an amazing move! Have you and Pippo trained together or talked often since Sanremo?
AB:  Yes. Everything is fine! Pippo and I are great friends, and all the time we go out for rides and train together. We had our different ways of racing Sanremo, but between us nothing has changed. In fact I have given him many complements.
BR:  It was an exciting win for Pippo and a great day for you. You finished third in Paris-Roubaix in your third year. Every year you have moved up in placings. We hope you will win next year! Do you think you have more experience now to win Roubaix?
AB:  At Roubaix the experience that you have is never enough. The more you race the more you understand Roubaix, which every year can unfold in a different manner depending on the conditions of the climate and many other factors. I will race it again, and I know I can do better. Five or six participations would be ideal to become the best at Paris-Roubaix.
BR:  Which was the hardest sector of pavé for you?
AB:  That is an easy answer: the Forest of Arenberg is the most difficult sector. But all of the sectors in the finale are very difficult to ride. You arrive tired and with the tension it becomes a very critical part of the course, so every section becomes really hard.
BR:  You crashed with 30K to go, in sector six (Cysoing à Bourghelles). Did this ruin your chances of following when Cancellara attacked?
AB:  I have to say that the crash compromised my race. There are two reasons: the first is that I took a good pounding that left a little pain, and the second is that I spent a lot of energy to rejoin the favorites. I basically had to do a hard attack to return to the front group, an attack that would have enabled me to follow Cancellara when he attacked. I think that I would have been able to respond to him if I was fresher, or at least I would have tried.
BR:  True. But you were one of first few riders to reach Roubaix. What does it feel like to enter the velodrome amongst the tifosi?
AB:  It is a very beautiful emotion! It was already beautiful the previous year, when I arrived a ways back from the favorites. But this year, when I arrived with the favorites, it was a thrilling experience; one that caused shivers!

The Ardennes Classics

BR:  Which is your preferred Classic: Sanremo, Flanders or Roubaix?
AB:  The race I like the best is Flanders. It has pavé, the "muri"... It has all that I appreciate and that excites me. But after this year's result at Roubaix, I am not able to ignore this mythical course. I think that with the passing of the years I will start to like Roubaix even more.
BR:  How do you find the Ardennes compared to the pavé of Flanders and Roubaix?
AB:  I have to say that the races in the Ardennes are also beautiful. I arrived in the Ardennes with a condition that was below the condition which I had in the other Belgium races, and I was not able to be a protagonist. But I think that with good condition I would also be able to go well in the Ardennes.
BR:  Yes. You just missed out on taking the ProTour jersey, a testament to your all-around abilities. During the week, between Amstel and Liège, what did your training consist of?
AB:  I did not do much, since I had just finished a lot of work and racing. Above all I tried to conserve my energy, doing very little work.
BR:  Did you do anything for fun?
AB:  I had a lot of relaxing days and rest. Nothing in particular, I only tried to save my remaining force and to end this first part of the season on a high note.

Teammates and Friends

BR:  What professional riders have you learned the most from?
AB:  For the type of rider that I am I have learned the most from Gianluca Bortolami, who used to be my teammate. Then I learn a lot everyday from other cyclists which I like to train with: Tosatto, Pozzato, Trenti and Rebellin.
BR:  You train in good company. You have also been in good company with Lampre, since turning pro in 2004. Are there any specific riders you would like to have added to the team in 2007?
AB:  I would have been very content if I would have had my teammate, Daniele Bennati, at my side in Belgium. This year I missed him, and for 2007 it would make me happy if we are together on the roads of the North, the ones that he loves so much. It would be great if we are two of the main protagonists.
BR:  We hope Bennati is back on top form soon. We really enjoyed our interview with him earlier this year. Besides Lampre-Fondital, which team do you think has been the strongest this year? Rabobank, CSC or Quick-Step?
AB:  I saw lots of great teams... very organized and competitive. The ones you have mentioned were all going very strong. But I am not able to say one in particular.

Beautiful Stella

BR:  OK. Time for the easier questions. Do you like to drink caffè?
AB:  I don't drink caffè. It won't allow me to sleep.
BR:  OK. What about gelato? Do you have a favorite flavor?
AB:  I like the flavor "bacio."
BR:  We heard you have a little daughter. What is her name?
AB:  I have a beautiful baby. Her name is Stella.
BR:  Does she already like cycling?
AB:  Yes! She becomes really happy when I get dressed for cycling. When she sees me dressed she is very happy and gets very excited.
BR:  That's very cool! OK, thanks a lot for taking time out of your break for a BiciRace.com interview. We will see you winning again in the summer. Ciao!