It’s very early days in the 2011 season but 2008 world road race champion Alessandro Ballan is already showing signs of strong form. The Italian rider sprinted home seventh on today’s opening stage of the Santos Tour Down Under, the all-rounder mixing it with the bunch sprinters and putting on a very respectable showing.
“After our first passage through the finish line, I thought this finish could be good for me,” he said after the stage. “But the last kilometer I was in the back and had to spend a lot of energy to come back, with my teammates doing a very good job of helping me. For the next stages, I hope I will be at the front at the end because from the profile of those stages, they're quite good for me.”
The BMC Racing Team rider had a strong 2008 season, winning the worlds after taking a stage in the Vuelta, netting second in the GP Ouest France, third in Paris-Roubaix and fourth in the Tour of Flanders. The 2009 and 2010 seasons were notably quieter, with the pressure – or the attention – brought as a winner of the rainbow jersey acting to stifle his results somewhat. He still managed to win a stage plus the overall in the 2009Tour of Poland, though.
Now into his second season with the BMC Racing Team, he’s determined to return to the heights of a couple of years ago. The Tour Down Under is the first step in ramping up his form, and it’s encouraging that he is already riding strongly. The work he’s done in Spain and Australia prior to the race is paying off.
According to BMC Racing Team Assistant Director Sportif Michael Sayers, he’s got a lot of class and today’s performance was not surprising.
“With Ballan, you always expect good results,” he stated. “He's probably the classiest rider in the field. Obviously, they don't give the rainbow stripes out for free. This is a good kickoff to the season.”
The Santos Tour Down Under continues tomorrow with a 146 kilometre leg from Tailem Bend to Mannum. Ballan is likely to show himself on the hillier stages ahead, seeking to land a result before heading to his next races.
The spring Classics are likely to be a big target for the 31 year old, but there’s plenty of racing between then and now and, consequently, plenty of opportunities to be seized.