Ivan Basso (Tinkoff-Saxo)(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Ivan Basso adjusts his bike after crashing(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ivan Basso gets off the team bus(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ivan Basso time trialling on stage 19 of the 2014 Giro(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Ivan Basso (Tinkoff-Saxo)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ivan Basso was released from the Hospital San Raffaele in Milan on Thursday and has returned home to his family following the successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his left testicle.
“I’m good, I’m happy, I have recovered quickly and I’m happy to go back home,” Basso said during an interview published in Gazzetta dello Sport. “I will do a series of check-ups in the next few days but everything went well and I’m happy.”
Basso was diagnosed with seminoma, a malignant neoplasm that is one of the most treatable and curable forms of cancer. He underwent surgery on Wednesday at the Hospital San Raffaele, performed by Doctor Francesco Montorsi, the director of the Urology Unit.
Although the surgery was a success, his doctors have said they need to await the final examinations before deciding whether Basso will require any further treatment. The complete report based on those final exams should be available with in the next few days.
“The doctor reassured me,“ Basso told the Gazzetta dello Sport before leaving the hospital on Thursday. “Now we have to wait. There are other exams to do but there is a lot of optimism, and I am the first. I am coming back home happy and relieved.”
Basso crashed during stage 5 at the Tour de France and hit his left testicle, however, when the pain did not subside he underwent a test on the rest day on Monday in Pau. It was then that doctors discovered the small lump. He immediately left the race and flew home to Italy, where he met with Doctor Montorsi on Tuesday morning in Milan. The surgery took place on Wednesday.
Now that the surgery is complete and Basso has returned home, he said that he is not sure how long it will take for him to fully recover or when he will be able to return to training.
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“Tomorrow morning I will be back to the hospital for another check up,” Basso said. “I need to be patient and the right [amount of] time for recovery is the priority. Then in the next few weeks I will think about the rest. In this moment the priority is health and to think about healing in the quickest and the best way.”
Basso went on to thank his family, cycling fans and his team, Tinkoff-Saxo, for their support from the moment he discovered the tumour on Monday, through his surgery on Wednesday, and his return home on Thursday.
“From my teammates, the team and the world of cycling in general, it is a beautiful thing,” Basso said. “It all happened within a few hours and I feel like I’m still at the end of the team time trial.
“It is a time where a lot of emotions have happened, but I never lost optimism, or a smile, and this is what helped me the most, with the affections of my family, everyone made me feel their closeness. I was pleased.”
Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.
Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.
She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.
