Tafi-FRANCO BALLERINI-Route by StepH

This route is dedicated to the late Franco Ballerini (1964-2010) who lived in Casalguidi with his wife and 2 children, at the foot of the San Barontok climb, towards Pistoia. During the route, we pass by the place where he died as a co-pilot of a rally car (after 46km and 62km). At that spot, an Italian jersey hangs as a silent witness to that tragic event. When passing through Cantagrillo-Casalguidi, we pass by his grave (after 55km). We remember Franco Ballerini as a robust powerhouse on the bike, who never seemed to care much about racing tactics. Pedaling over the pavé of Paris-Roubaix was his favorite pastime. As a rider, he didn’t seem very refined, but as the coach of the azzurri, he was a true gentleman. Ballerini primarily focused on one-day races. In 1993, he narrowly missed victory in Paris-Roubaix when he was defeated by the Frenchman Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle. Ballerini considered retiring from cycling in 1994, but ultimately decided to seek revenge for his second place. He did this by winning the editions of 1995 and 1998. Ballerini also achieved other significant victories in the races Omloop Het Volk and Paris-Brussels. In 2001, Ballerini finally decided to retire from cycling, after which he became the national coach of Italy. In 2002, his first year as national coach, Ballerini won the World Championship with Mario Cipollini. The Olympic gold in Athens 2004 was also for the Azzuri with Paolo Bettini. After the World Championship in Madrid in 2005, Ballerini considered resigning but ultimately decided to continue as national coach. In 2006, he won the world title again with Paolo Bettini. In February 2010, Franco, who was an avid rally enthusiast, participated in a rally in Larciano at the age of 45, as co-pilot of Alessandro Ciardi. He was seriously injured in a crash and died in the hospital in Pistoia. To commemorate Ballerini, the first Italian to arrive in Paris-Roubaix receives the Souvenir Franco Ballerini. Filippo Pozzato was the first to win this trophy.