Franco Ballerini  

Funny what sparks memories. I remember watching the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with keen interest in the men’s road cycling. The memory that sticks in my mind was defending gold medalist, Italian pro Paolo Bettini, dropping back from the peloton to the support caravan, in the early stages of the race, clinging to his support car as he chatted away with some dude sporting sideburns and chewing gum. Bettini just clung on to the car as the two chatted away.

What struck me was that nobody, including the commentators actually made much of a fuss about it. I guess, hanging on for a ride for a couple of kilometers really is no different than being dragged along in the Peloton, and as long as he gained no advantage there was no problem as long as it didn’t happen for the entire race.

I remember wondering what the heck they were they talking about. Were they discussing race strategy? Was Bettini complaining about what a crappy bike he was forced to ride? Was he talking about how sore his butt was? Or were they discussing what they were going to eat after the race, and where they could score a decent bottle of Chianti in the middle of China? And who the heck was the dude in the car.

Turns out the dude with the sideburns and gum was the Italian national coach, the late Franco Ballerini.

Franco passed away this past weekend after crashing in a car during a local rally. It likely won’t receive much press on this side of the Atlantic, but the cycling world will truly miss the former Paris Roubaix champion. To read more about Ballerini, check out Pez.