Paolo Bettini Photo Gallery
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Major wins | Professional teams | Photos |
Italian cyclist Paolo Bettini (born April 1, 1974) was one of cycling's best-ever single-day racers. He has the rare distinction of having won consecutive world pro road championships (2006, 2007), a feat matched only by Georges Ronsee (1928, 1929), Rik van Steenbergen (1956, 1957), Rik van Looy (1960, 1961) and Gianni Bugno (1991, 1992). Fine company, indeed.
Though he won the points classification in two Giri d'Italia (2005, 2006), he was never in contention for the overall win in a Grand Tour and won only one Tour de France and two Giro stages. His real talent lay in shorter stage races and the classics.
Bettini retired at the end of an injury-troubled 2008 season. Following the death of Franco Ballerini later he took over the job of Italian National Coach in 2010, a job he held until 2014.
Major victories and high placings:
1998:
- 3rd place GP Beghelli
- 3rd place Trofeo Laigueglia
1999:
- Giro della Provincia di Lucca
- 2nd place Giro della Romagna
- 2nd place Milano-Torino
2000:
- Trofeo Soler
- Settimana Ciclista Internazionale Coppi-Bartali
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège
2001:
- 2nd place, Tour de Langkawi
- Championship of Zürich
- Coppa Placci
- 2nd place, world road championships in Lisbon
2002:
- Coppa Sabatini
- Giro della Liguria
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- 2nd place Giro di Toscana
- Tour of Wallonia
- 2nd place Championship of Zürich
- Giro del Lazio
- 2nd place Amstel Curaçao Race
2003:
- Tour Méditerranéen
- 3rd place Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- Milano-San Remo
- 2nd place GP Kanton Aargau
- Italian Road Championships
- HEW Cyclassics
- Clasica San Sebastian
- No 1 UCI ranked rider
2004:
- 2nd place, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
- Tirreno-Adriatico
- 3rd place, Amstel Gold Race
- Città di Camaiore
- 2nd place Clasica San Sebastian
- Gold medal, Athens Olympic Road Race
- 2nd place Championship of Zürich
- Profonde van Almelo
- No 2 UCI ranked rider
2005:
- Giro d'Italia points classification
- Championship of Zürich
- 2nd place GP Beghelli
- Giro di Lombardia
2006:
- Trofeo Soller
- GP Lugano
- Two stages of Tirreno-Adriatico
- 2nd place Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- Giro d'Italia points classification
- Italian Road Championships
- World Road Championships
- Giro di Lombardia
2007:
- World Road Championships
2008:
- GP Formaggi Guffanti
- Trofeo Matteotti
1997: MG Maglificio-Technogym
1998: ASICS-CGA
1999 - 2002: Mapei-Quick Step
2003 - 2004: Quick Step-Davitamon
2005 - 2007: Quick Step-Innergetic
2008: Quick Step
Nicknames: Il Grillo (the Cricket)
Paolo Bettini races to San Marino in the 1997 Tirreno-Adriatico. ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini climbs a hill in the 1998 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. ©Sirotti
Bettini is in the green climber's after stage three in Forte de Marmi at the 1998 Giro d'Italia.©Sirotti
No longer in green, Paolo Bettini time trials in Trieste during stage 15 of the 1998 Giro d'Italia. ©Sirotti
1998 Giro d'Italia stage 18: Bettini doesn't seem to be enjoying his climb to Alpe di Pampeago. ©Sirotti
Bettini climbs a hill in the 1998 Championship of Zurich. The race, also called Züri Mezgete, is now organized solely for amateurs. ©Sirotti
Bettini (right, ASICS jersey) in the 1998 Giro di Lombardia. This might be the crest of the Ghisallo. ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini descends in the 1999 Milano-San Remo. ©Sirotti
Bettini gets his bike worked on during stage one of the 1999 Giro d'Italia. ©Sirotti
Bettini leaves the starthouse during stage 9 in Ancona of the 1999 Giro d'Italia. ©Sirotti
Bettini accepts a prize after stage 11 finished in Cesenatico in the 1999 Giro d'Italia. ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini forces the pace in the 1999 Giro di Lombardia. ©Sirotti
Bettini rounds a corner in the 2000 Milano-San Remo. ©Sirotti
Bettini wins 2000 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. ©Sirotti
Bettini time trials to Futuroscope in stage 1 of the 2000 Tour de France. ©Sirotti
Bettini wins stage 9 in Dax of the 2000 Tour de France. ©Sirotti
Bettini climbs to Aix-les-Thermes in stage 12 of the 2001 Tour de France. ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini wins 2002 Liège-Bastogne-Liège in front of teammate Stefano Garzelli. ©Sirotti
Bettini rides the 2002 Giro d'Italia prologue in Groningen. ©Sirotti
That sure looks like Charly Gaul with Paul Bettini at the start of 2002 Giro stage 4 in Esch sur Alzette in Luxembourg. ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini leads maglia rosa and teammate Stefano Garzelli in stage 5 of the 2002 Giro d'Italia. ©Sirotti
Bettini talks to the team car during the 2003 Het Volk. ©Sirotti
Bettini at the start of the 2003 Milano-San Remo
Bettini and world road champion Mario Cipollini relax a bit during the 2003 Milano-San Remo. ©Sirotti
The Cricket triumphs in front of Mirko Celestino in the 2003 Milano-San Remo. ©Sirotti
Another view of the 2003 Milano-San Remo finish. That is teammate Luca Paolini behind in the Quick Step kit also raising his arms in triumph. ©Sirotti
Bettini climbs to La Punt in stage 5 of the 2003 Giro d'Italia. ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini wins the 2003 Italian road championships. ©Sirotti
The presentation jersey they had ready for the 2003 road championships was a bit big for the Cricket. ©Sirotti
Paolo has a better fitting tricolor jersey at the 2003 Tour de France teams presentation ceremony. ©Sirotti
Bettini leaves the starthouse at the 2003 Tour de France prologue in Paris. ©Sirotti
2003 HEW Cyclassics in Hamburg: Bettini beats Davide Rebellin (left in Gerolsteiner kit) and Jan Ullrich (behind, in Bianchi jersey). ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini wins the 2003 Clasica San Sebastian. That's Ivan Basso on the right, getting second. ©Sirotti
Bettini wins stage 2 of the 2004 Tour Méditerranéen in Hyeres. ©Sirotti
Stage 4 of the 2004 Tirreno-Adriatico: Bettini wins in Paglieta. ©Sirotti
Bettini narrowly beats Oscar Freire in stage 6 of the 2004 Tirreno-Adriatico. ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini wins one on a wet day, stage 8 of the 2004 Tour of Switzerland. ©Sirotti
2004 Tour de France stage 17: Bettini climbs to Le Grand Bornand. ©Sirotti
A solo victory for Bettini in the 2004 GP Citta di Camairore. ©Sirotti
One of Paolo Bettini's signature accomlishments: Here he wins the 2004 Olympic road race in Athens. ©Sirotti
2005 Giro d'Italia stage 4: Bettini was first across the line but was relegated to 4th because he didn't hold his line in the sprint. He ran Baden Cooke (FDJ) into the barriers. Cooke crashed but was able to walk the final meters across the line. ©Sirotti
2005 Giro di Lombardia: Bettini wins, Gilberto Simoni second and Frank Schleck third. ©Sirotti
Bettini on the Molenberg in the 2006 Ronde van Vlaanderen. ©Sirotti
Bettini on the Taaienberg in the 2006 Tour of Flanders. ©Sirotti
Bettini wins the 2006 world road race championship in Salzburg, Austria. ©Sirotti
Bettini (in rainbow jersey) climbs in the 2007 Ronde van Vlaanderen. ©Sirotti
Bettini does it again! Here he wins the 2007 world road race championship in Stuttgart, Germany. ©Sirotti
Bright and shiny in his rainbow kit, world champion Paolo Bettini rides in stage one of the 2008 Tirreno-Adriatico next to frequently disgraced racer Danilo Di Luca. ©Sirotti
2008 Giro d'Italia, stage 9: Daniele Bennati (green Liquigas jersey) throws his bike just a little further than Bettini did to give Bennati the stage win. ©Sirotti
Paolo Bettini climbs the Passo Fadaia in the 2008 Giro d'Italia. ©Sirotti
2008 Trofeo Matteotti: Bettini just beats Francesco Reda and Pasquale Muto and is about to raise his arm in triumph. ©Sirotti
Stage 5 of the 2008 Vuelta a España: Paolo Bettini time trials to Ciudad Real. ©Sirotti
Bettini wins the next Vuelta stage in Toledo. ©Sirotti
2011 Tirreno-Adriatico: Paolo Bettini talks with Tom Boonen. ©Sirotti