Ballan-rina

Alessandro Ballan will never be accused of being Lance Armstrong, dancing on the pedals. But the strong man from Veneto, Italy looked nimble enough on the bergs today, winning the 91st edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen with a decisive attack on the Kapelmuur.

You may be wondering, what the heck is a guy from southern Europe doing winning a northern Spring Classic? What's next, dogs and cats living together? Would it make much difference if you knew he came from northern Italy?

Its what these one day races, these Classics, are all about. It doesn't matter what country you come from or where you train. It only matters who is the strongest on the day, and who doesn't run into any bad luck (as these two things usually go hand-in-hand in separating who wins or loses). Plus, its not that dramatic when you think about it, as another Italian, Andrea Tafi, made his living on the cobbles, winning the Ronde in 2002 and Roubaix in 1999.

The Rebirth of The Eternal Second
From the early 60's to the mid-70s, Raymond Poulidor, became known as l'eternel second; never wearing the Malliot Jaune, finishing second 3 times and third 4 times at the Tour de France (mainly to 5 time winner Jacques Anquetil).

Enter Leif Hoste.

Hoste is quickly becoming Poulidor's Spring Classics equivalent, finishing 2nd in the Ronde in 2007, 2006, & 2004. His biggest win to date has been the 2006 Three Days of De Panne (strangely enough, an honor Ballan acheived this year). The comparison may not be fair, as Hoste still has a lot of races ahead of him. But one thing is for certain, Hoste at least has assured himself a place on next year's Ronde poster, just like this year.

Photo: Lampre/Fondital