Being suspended "was the best thing that could have happened to me," said Ivan Basso, whose career as a pro cyclist is currently on hold. "It gave me time to reflect and it has turned my life around." The Italian was given a two-year ban for his involvement in Operación Puerto.
"I feel ready for a come-back," he said in an interview with Italian website affaritaliani. "I feel like a better man." Basso has continued to train during his suspension, which runs through October of this year, and plans to not only race, but to win, the Tour de France at some point in the future. "That's my dream, but I don't want to think too far ahead. I prefer to take small steps."
