# Paolo Bettini

Paolo Bettini (born 1 April 1974) is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the former coach of the Italian national cycling team. Considered the best classics specialist of his generation, and probably one of the strongest of all times, he won gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics road race and in the 2006 and 2007 World Road Race Championships. He is nicknamed Il Grillo ("the cricket") for his repeated sudden attacks and his sprinting style.
He gained prominence by winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2000 and 2002. He set the record for World Cup wins in a season in 2003, winning the Milan–San Remo, HEW Cyclassics and Clásica de San Sebastián. He won the Giro di Lombardia in 2005 and 2006, the Züri-Metzgete in 2001 and 2005 and Tirreno–Adriatico in 2004.

## Career
### Early career

Paolo Bettini lived with his family on the Tuscany coast. He began racing when he was seven and won 23 of his first 24 races. His first bike had a secondhand frame which his father, Giuliano, had painted orange. The components were cannibalised from other bikes. He started racing after the encouragement of his brother.
He came fourth in the world under-23 road championship in 1996, behind three other Italians, Giuliano Fugeras, Roberti Sgambelluri and Luca Sironi. He turned professional the following year for the MG-Technogym team. There he rode as domestique to Michele Bartoli, "a working class cyclist", wrote Stephen Farrand, "destined to work for others to earn his crust." He worked for Bartoli, who in return helped with advice. Bartoli won the World Cup in 1997 and 1998 with Bettini's help.
Bartoli fell heavily on a knee in 1999 and Bettini was freed to race for himself. He won Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2000 – treating himself to a €100,000 Porsche – and a flat stage of that year's Tour de France, from Agen to Dax. He won the 2001 Züri-Metzgete after a few months without wins, beating Jan Ullrich in the sprint to the finish. His success led to a feud with Bartoli. It culminated in the 2001 world championship in Lisbon, Portugal, where Bartoli refused to lead Bettini to a flying start in the sprint finish and the Spaniard, Óscar Freire, won instead.

### 2002 World Cup and race season

The 2002 season was a breakthrough. In the World Cup, Bettini was caught in the final kilometers of Milan–San Remo. After his 1–2 win with Stefano Garzelli in Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Bettini ran neck-to-neck against Museeuw, who won Paris–Roubaix in a 50 km solo breakaway, and the HEW Cyclassics. A tactical ride in Giro di Lombardia earned Bettini the World Cup.
Bettini played strong support in Mario Cipollini's victory in the UCI Road Cycling World Championship in Zolder, Belgium.

### 2003 World Cup and race season

The 2003 World Cup series started with Milan–San Remo. Attacking twice in the last hills leading down to the Primavera, Bettini had the help of Luca Paolini, who attacked down the tricky descent towards the finish.
However, injury in the Gent–Wevelgem forced Bettini to miss several races until the Tour de France in July. He then followed with a win in the HEW Cyclassics in front of Tour runner-up Jan Ullrich, and a win in the Clásica de San Sebastián.
Bettini failed to win the UCI Road Cycling World Championship despite being favorite due to a mistake at the end of the race. Having established himself in the winning breakaway, hesitation allowed the Spaniard Igor Astarloa to break away to win. Astarloa claimed that Bettini had offered him money to relinquish the win, which Astarloa said he refused. A feud ensued, and Astarloa attributed his comment to a misunderstanding of Bettini's Italian.

### 2004 World Cup and race season

The 2004 season started well with Milan–San Remo, but Davide Rebellin won the La Flèche Wallonne (not in the World Cup), Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Amstel Gold Race. Bettini's disappointments continued with second places in the HEW Cyclassics, which he had won previously, and in the Clásica de San Sebastián, which he had won the previous year. The points gained in Paris–Tours put him in the leader's jersey, but with the last race the Giro di Lombardia better suited to Rebellin, the World Cup was not yet safe. Bettini followed Rebellin throughout the race, resulting in Rebellin's quitting in frustration.
Bettini's most important victory was the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he broke away with Portuguese Sérgio Paulinho for a comfortable victory decided on a last moment sprint with both. He again failed to win the world championship due to an injury when he banged his knee against the team car at the beginning of the race.

### 2005 UCI ProTour and race season

After Milan–San Remo, Bettini had an injury-marked start which prevented significant participation in the spring classics, and he had no victories until he got two stage wins at the 2005 Giro d'Italia, where he wore the pink jersey as leader of the general classification for several days. After that, no more good results until the 2005 Vuelta a España, where he beat Alessandro Petacchi in an uphill sprint in Valladolid. After that, he took part in the world championship in Madrid, where he got into the decisive break but did not get a medal. A week later, he won Züri-Metzgete for a second time. Two weeks later he won the Giro di Lombardia as well.

### 2006 UCI ProTour and race season

Bettini won the first race of the season, the Trofeo Soller, which is part of the Challenge Mallorca. He also won the Gran Premio di Lugano, two stages in the Tirreno–Adriatico and the 15th stage in the Giro d'Italia, where he won the points classification. Following the Giro he became the Italian road champion and won a stage at the Vuelta a España before winning the world championship.
His brother Sauro died in a car accident a few days after that victory and Bettini was close to abandoning cycling. He changed his mind and won the Giro di Lombardia in tears.
On 2 March 2007, the French magazine Velo awarded Bettini its Vélo d'Or as best rider of 2006.

### 2007 UCI ProTour and race season

Bettini raced in the second annual 2.HC-rated 2007 Tour of California and made it worth his while by capturing Stage 4 in a sprint finish. He later won the third stage of the Vuelta a España and finished second in three more stages. Then he won once again the rainbow jersey of the Elite Men's Road at Stuttgart.

### 2008 season

Bettini's start was plagued by injuries, including a fall at the Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne and a rib broken when he fell on a wet descent in the Tour of the Basque Country. He won the Trofeo Matteotti and stages at the Tour of Austria and Tour de Wallonie. He also won two stages at the Vuelta a España, where he said he was leaving Quick Step after 10 years due to a financial dispute. On September 27 he announced his retirement. On 4 November, he fell during the Milan six-day and was taken to hospital unconscious.

### Coaching career

On 17 June 2010, Bettini was named as the new Italian national coach, following the death of Franco Ballerini in a car accident earlier that year. He left this role in 2014 to work with Fernando Alonso on his new cycling team in preparation for its launch in 2015.

## Track racing

Bettini followed the path of riders before the 1970s and took up six-day racing in the winter. He rode at Munich and Grenoble in 2006. "I didn't do it for the money", he said. "I had that already. I did it through my love of racing, to see what it's like to race on a track." The bankings proved trickier than the road, however, and his debut was described as "catastrophic" as he failed to get alongside his partner in the two-man relay race, the madison, and finished the first night "with fear in his face." Charly Mottet said:
    I saw him at the start of the evening and he worried me. Two hours later, I can tell you, he had won the respect of the others. He was making proper changes, he was taking part in the race and he was going better and better. The others couldn't believe their eyes [commencaient à ne plus voir le jour].

## Personal life

Bettini married Monica Orlandini, a literature teacher, in 2000. They moved into a farmhouse belonging to his wife's family, who have been olive farmers for four generations. They live in Riparbella, 10 km from Cecina, where Bettini was born.

## Career achievements
### Major results
#### 1996

    1st Stage 8 Giro Ciclistico d'Italia
    3rd Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships
    4th Road race, UCI Road World Under-23 Championships
    9th Overall Grand Prix Guillaume Tell

#### 1997 (1 pro win)

    1st Stage 2 (TTT) Hofbrau Cup
    8th Overall Tour de Langkawi

#### 1998 (1)

    1st Stage 4a Tour de Romandie
    3rd Trofeo Laigueglia
    3rd Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
    7th Overall Giro d'Italia
    7th Overall Danmark Rundt
       1st Mountains classification
    7th Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
    8th Overall Tour Méditerranéen
    8th Züri-Metzgete
    8th Coppa Sabatini

#### 1999 (5)

    1st Overall Giro della Provincia di Lucca
       1st Stage 1
    1st Stage 4 Tirreno–Adriatico
    2nd Milano–Torino
    3rd Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
       1st Stage 2
    4th Züri-Metzgete
    5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    6th Overall Tour of Galicia
       1st Stage 1
    7th GP Ouest–France
    7th Giro dell'Appennino
    9th Giro di Lombardia
    9th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton

#### 2000 (6)

    1st Overall Memorial Cecchi Gori
       1st Stages 2 & 4
    1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    1st Trofeo Manacor
    1st Stage 9 Tour de France
    2nd Giro della Romagna
    4th Clásica de San Sebastián
    4th Paris–Tours
    5th Coppa Placci
    7th Grand Prix de Fourmies
    7th Giro della Provincia di Siracusa
    9th Road race, Olympic Games
    9th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    10th Giro di Lombardia
    10th Trofeo Pantalica
    10th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano

#### 2001 (5)

    1st Züri-Metzgete
    1st Coppa Placci
    2nd Overall Tour de Langkawi
       1st Points classification
       1st Stages 3 & 11
    2nd Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    3rd Coppa Sabatini
    4th Overall Giro della Provincia di Lucca
       1st Stage 4
    5th Milan–San Remo
    5th Tre Valli Varesine
    5th Giro del Lazio
    6th HEW Cyclassics
    9th Firenze–Pistoia

#### 2002 (10)

    1st Overall UCI Road World Cup
    1st Overall Tour de Wallonie
       1st Stage 1
    1st Overall Giro Riviera Ligure Pomente
       1st Stage 3 & 4
    1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    1st Coppa Sabatini
    1st Giro del Lazio
    1st Stage 1 Tour Méditerranéen
    1st Stage 3 Giro della Provincia di Lucca
    2nd Züri-Metzgete
    2nd Giro di Toscana
    4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
       1st Stage 2
    4th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
    4th HEW Cyclassics
    5th Omloop Het Volk
    6th Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato
    7th Clásica de San Sebastián
    7th Firenze–Pistoia
    8th Amstel Gold Race
    8th Trofeo Laigueglia
    10th Coppa Placci

#### 2003 (5)

    1st Overall UCI Road World Cup
    1st Road race, National Road Championships
    1st Overall Tour Méditerranéen
       1st Points classification
    1st Milan–San Remo
    1st Clásica de San Sebastián
    1st HEW Cyclassics
    2nd Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
    3rd Omloop Het Volk
    3rd Züri-Metzgete
    4th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    4th Trofeo Laigueglia
    4th Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi
    4th Trofeo Alcúdia
    5th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
       1st Points classification
    5th Tour du Haut Var
    5th Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
    5th Trofeo Manacor
    8th Giro dell'Emilia

#### 2004 (8)

    1st Overall UCI Road World Cup
    1st Road race, Olympic Games
    1st Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
       1st Stage 4 & 6
    1st Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
    1st Stage 8 Tour de Suisse
    2nd Clásica de San Sebastián
    2nd HEW Cyclassics
    2nd Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
    2nd Züri-Metzgete
    3rd Amstel Gold Race
    5th Paris–Brussels
    5th Trofeo Palma de Mallorca
    6th Overall Tour Méditerranéen
       1st Stage 2
    6th Paris–Tours
    8th Milan–San Remo
    8th Ronde van Midden-Zeeland
    9th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge
       1st Stage 1
    9th Tour of Flanders

#### 2005 (4)

    1st Giro di Lombardia
    1st Züri–Metzgete
    Giro d'Italia
       1st Points classification
       1st Stage 1
    1st Stage 16 Vuelta a España
    2nd Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
    4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    7th Trofeo Palma de Mallorca

#### 2006 (9)

    1st Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    1st Road race, National Road Championships
    1st Giro di Lombardia
    1st Gran Premio di Lugano
    1st Trofeo Sóller
    Giro d'Italia
       1st Points classification
       1st Stage 15
    1st Stage 2 Vuelta a España
    Tirreno–Adriatico
       1st Stage 1 & 2
    2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    3rd Trofeo Pollença
    3rd Trofeo Cala Millor
    7th Tour of Flanders
    8th Amstel Gold Race
    9th Trofeo Laigueglia
    9th Trofeo Palma de Mallorca

#### 2007 (3)

    1st Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    1st Stage 3 Vuelta a España
    1st Stage 4 Tour of California
    4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    6th Amstel Gold Race
    7th Vattenfall Cyclassics
    7th Firenze–Pistoia

#### 2008 (5)

    1st Trofeo Matteotti
    Vuelta a España
       1st Stage 6 & 12
    1st Stage 1 Tour of Austria
    3rd Overall Tour de Wallonie
       1st Stage 2
    4th Clásica de San Sebastián
    9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Giro d'Italia | 25 | 7 | 44 | — | — | DNF | — | — | 38 | 56 | 41 | 19 |
| Tour de France | — | — | — | 122 | 74 | — | 114 | 114 | — | — | — | — |
| Vuelta a España | — | — | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | DNF | DNF | DNF | DNF |

### Classics results timeline

| Monument | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Milan–San Remo | — | 70 | 77 | 40 | 5 | 50 | 1 | 8 | 42 | 75 | 33 | 102 |
| Tour of Flanders | — | — | — | — | 23 | 16 | DNF | 9 | — | 7 | 21 | — |
| Paris–Roubaix | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | 92 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 1 | — | 22 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| Giro di Lombardia | — | 21 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 30 | DNF | 29 | 1 | 1 | 103 | — |
| Classic | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Omloop Het Volk | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | — | DNF | — | — | 90 |
| Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 25 | 2 | DNF | — | — | DNF |
| E3 Prijs Vlaanderen | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | DNF | 48 | — | — | 24 | — |
| Amstel Gold Race | — | DNF | 32 | 14 | DNF | 8 | — | 3 | 37 | 8 | 7 | — |
| La Flèche Wallonne | — | 50 | — | 19 | 20 | 37 | — | DNF | 41 | 12 | DNF | — |
| Clásica de San Sebastián | — | DNF | 11 | 4 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 2 | DNF | 101 | — | 4 |
| Hamburg Cyclassics | — | 12 | 12 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | DNF | 48 | 7 | — |
| Züri-Metzgete | 41 | 8 | 4 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | DNF | Not held | Not held |
| GP Ouest-France | — | — | 7 | — | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Giro dell'Emilia | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | DNF | — | DNF | — |
| Milano–Torino | — | 21 | 2 | NH | — | — | — | — | — | — | 88 | NH |
| Paris–Tours | — | 47 | 14 | 4 | — | 19 | 11 | 6 | — | — | — | — |

### Major championships results timeline

| | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Olympic Games | Not held | Not held | 9 | Not held | Not held | Not held | 1 | Not held | Not held | Not held | 17 |
| World Championships | 63 | — | 9 | 2 | 26 | 4 | DNF | 13 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| National Championships | — | — | 7 | 15 | — | 1 | 11 | — | 1 | DNF | 27 |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |