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Ballan on top of the world
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Italy's Alessandro Ballan launched a stunning attack to win the men's road race at the world championships in Varese.
More StoriesHow it happened
On a day when the big favourites for the rainbow jersey all missed the decisive break with 15 kilometres to go, the 28-year-old Lampre man prevailed from a breakaway group to finish three seconds ahead of compatriot Damiano Cunego, with Denmark's Matti Breschel rounding off the podium.
While it was not to be the fairytale career ending on home soil for Paolo Bettini, the former world champion crossed the line arms aloft, beaming a smile of satisfaction at the exploits of his team-mate.
For the vast majority of the race it was the powerful Italian team that dictated the pace, first allowing the breakaway trio of Richard Ochoa, Christian Poos and Oleg Chuzhda a lead that grew to over 16 minutes, before gradually upping the tempo, with Marzio Bruseghin thinning down the peloton with repeated digs on the significant climb of the course, the Ronchi.
With two laps to go and all the big favourites still in a 50-strong peloton, it seemed as if a mass sprint might be on the cards, but an attack from Ballan saw a breakaway group of a dozen riders move clear, including his team-mates Cunego and Davide Rebellin.
With 20 kilometres to go, another attack came from the peloton looking to bridge the gap to the main group, but Bettini, Alejandro Valverde, Tom Boonen and Oscar Freire all managed to mark each other out of the race, and when they did finally put the hammer down, it was far too late. Thus, it was with a few resigned handshakes and much mutual back-patting that Bettini accepted he would not captured a historic third world title.
Drama was developing up the road as the attacks began to come in the lead group.
Rebellin was the first to try his luck, before Dane Chris Sorensen tried to escape on the Ronchi, only for Joaquin Rodriguez to chase both men down. Robert Gesink tried his luck on the Ronchi too, though it became clear that it would take a mammoth effort for anybody to drop the rest of the group.
And a mammoth effort it was from Ballan, three kilometres from home. After Cunego tried briefly to move clear, Ballan caught his rivals looking in the wrong direction and catapulted himself clear on the right hand side.
With Rebellin and Cunego content to watch their man go, it was left to Sorensen - working for Breschel - and Andriy Grivko to close down Ballan, but the Italian was not to be caught.
Displaying the calibre that has taken him to victory at the Tour of Flanders as well as two podium finishes at Paris-Roubaix, he drove for the line with his head down, and comfortably defended his lead, finishing three seconds ahead of Cunego to give Italy a 1-2.
Michael FitzGerald / Eurosport
More StoriesHow it happened
On a day when the big favourites for the rainbow jersey all missed the decisive break with 15 kilometres to go, the 28-year-old Lampre man prevailed from a breakaway group to finish three seconds ahead of compatriot Damiano Cunego, with Denmark's Matti Breschel rounding off the podium.
While it was not to be the fairytale career ending on home soil for Paolo Bettini, the former world champion crossed the line arms aloft, beaming a smile of satisfaction at the exploits of his team-mate.
For the vast majority of the race it was the powerful Italian team that dictated the pace, first allowing the breakaway trio of Richard Ochoa, Christian Poos and Oleg Chuzhda a lead that grew to over 16 minutes, before gradually upping the tempo, with Marzio Bruseghin thinning down the peloton with repeated digs on the significant climb of the course, the Ronchi.
With two laps to go and all the big favourites still in a 50-strong peloton, it seemed as if a mass sprint might be on the cards, but an attack from Ballan saw a breakaway group of a dozen riders move clear, including his team-mates Cunego and Davide Rebellin.
With 20 kilometres to go, another attack came from the peloton looking to bridge the gap to the main group, but Bettini, Alejandro Valverde, Tom Boonen and Oscar Freire all managed to mark each other out of the race, and when they did finally put the hammer down, it was far too late. Thus, it was with a few resigned handshakes and much mutual back-patting that Bettini accepted he would not captured a historic third world title.
Drama was developing up the road as the attacks began to come in the lead group.
Rebellin was the first to try his luck, before Dane Chris Sorensen tried to escape on the Ronchi, only for Joaquin Rodriguez to chase both men down. Robert Gesink tried his luck on the Ronchi too, though it became clear that it would take a mammoth effort for anybody to drop the rest of the group.
And a mammoth effort it was from Ballan, three kilometres from home. After Cunego tried briefly to move clear, Ballan caught his rivals looking in the wrong direction and catapulted himself clear on the right hand side.
With Rebellin and Cunego content to watch their man go, it was left to Sorensen - working for Breschel - and Andriy Grivko to close down Ballan, but the Italian was not to be caught.
Displaying the calibre that has taken him to victory at the Tour of Flanders as well as two podium finishes at Paris-Roubaix, he drove for the line with his head down, and comfortably defended his lead, finishing three seconds ahead of Cunego to give Italy a 1-2.
Michael FitzGerald / Eurosport