2012 Giro della Toscana champion Alessandro Ballan (BMC)(Image credit: Sirotti)
Third place-getter, Alessandro Ballan (BMC)(Image credit: Photopress.be)
After a horrendous crash towards the tail end of last year Alessandro Ballan is back on the bike and looking forward to a comeback in the next two to three months.
In December the former world champion crashed at a training camp. He broke a femur and rib and had to undergo several operations, one of which led to the removal of his spleen, while Gazzetta reported that he also suffered internal bleeding and could have lost a kidney.
This weekend he has taken a short break from his training to join his BMC teammates at the Tour of Flanders, a race he finished on the podium in last year.
"I feel better. Now I ride, not too much but just two three hours on the bike. To be honest I’m really happy to be here with my team. It’s really good motivation for me and I hope also for my team," he told Cyclingnews.
Sporting a scar on his left leg, as well as a 40 stitch scar down the centre of his chest, the Italian said he is returning to full fitness.
"I think it will be another two and a half months before racing. I’ll start with some easy races. I don't know where but it will be about taking things day. I feel good. My left leg is normal now and I feel as good as I did before the crash."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
