Colnago tribute to Franco Ballerini
Ernesto Colnago has paid tribute to Franco Ballerini on the day on which the Italian national coach and former Classics star has been laid to rest following his death during a rally on Sunday. “Franco was like a son for me,” says Colnago. “He was a wonderful guy, but my thoughts are now with his wife, Sabrina, and their children.”
The relationship between Colnago and Ballerini stretches back to the early 1980s. Ballerini raced as an under-23 rider on a steel Colnago bike and later enjoyed his greatest triumphs aboard Colnago’s cutting-edge carbon fibre C40 bikes with the all-conquering Mapei team. Ballerini was one of the first riders to be signed to the team, his goal to put behind him his agonisingly narrow loss to Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle in the 1993 edition of Roubaix.
In 1994, Ballerini was frustrated by terrible conditions in what is remembered as one of the most epic editions of Roubaix, finishing third, but there was no stopping him the following year. “I always attacked in the same place, on a small section of cobbles that were underestimated. In the past, there had always been someone hanging on to my wheel, but this time I came out of that section alone. Then it was full steam ahead,” Ballerini later recalled.
Three years on, Ballerini enjoyed what he described as “the most beautiful day of my career” when he won Roubaix for a second time by a staggering margin of more than four minutes. Having attacked the leading contenders 70km from the finish, Ballerini got across to the lead group, attacked again with 45km remaining and rode away for a quite sensational victory. “I felt fantastic: my entry into the velodrome, the huge cheers of the crowd, the rhythm of the final pedal strokes,” Ballerini later explained.
“His character was very strong and that really showed as he loved Paris-Roubaix,” said Colnago. “His cycling season was Paris-Roubaix. He used to call me a lot asking for advice about that race in particular.”
Like so many other Italians and so many bike fans all over the world, Colnago has been very hard hit by the news of Ballerini’s far too premature death. “You will be always in our hearts,” says Ernesto Colnago. “Ciao, amico mio.”