Ballan rides through storm to take sixth at Paris-Roubaix

If Alessandro Ballan’s preparations for Paris-Roubaix were overshadowed by allegations of blood doping by an Italian judge, it certainly didn’t affect his performance. The BMC rider was one of the select few able to live with Fabian Cancellara’s searing acceleration on the cobbles at Mons-en-Pévèle and he eventually finished sixth in the Roubaix velodrome.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.