Ivan Basso facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ivan Basso

Basso at the 2015 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	Ivan Basso
Nickname	Ivan the Terrible, The Smiling Assassin
Born	(1977-11-26) 26 November 1977 (age 47) Gallarate, Province of Varese, Italy
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight	70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider Directeur sportif
Rider type	Climbing specialist
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France Young rider classification (2002) 1 individual stage (2004) Giro d'Italia General classification (2006, 2010) 6 individual stages (2005, 2006, 2010) 2 TTT (2006, 2010) Stage races Danmark Rundt (2005) Critérium International (2006) Giro del Trentino (2009) Giro di Padania (2011) One-day races and Classics Giro dell'Emilia (2004) Japan Cup (2012)

Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is a former professional road bicycle racer from Italy. He competed professionally from 1999 to 2015 for several different teams. Basso was known as "Ivan the Terrible" and was considered one of the best mountain riders and stage race cyclists in the early 2000s.

He won the famous Giro d'Italia race twice. He first won it in 2006 with Team CSC, and then again in 2010 with Team Liquigas. In 2007, Basso faced a suspension related to a cycling investigation. He returned to racing in October 2008 and quickly showed his talent again. In 2010, he achieved his second Giro d'Italia victory, winning two stages during the race.

Early Life and Career

Ivan Basso was born in Gallarate, a town in Italy. He grew up near Claudio Chiappucci, another famous cyclist. As a young rider, Basso showed great promise. He finished second in the 1995 UCI Juniors Road World Championships. His biggest win as an amateur was the under-23 road race at the 1998 UCI Road World Championships.

Before becoming a professional, his parents wanted him to finish his studies. He joined the Riso Scotti–Vinavil team in 1999. He competed in his first Giro d'Italia that year. Even though he didn't finish, he set a goal to win it one day. In 2000, with his team now called Amica Chips, he earned his first professional wins in the Regio-Tour.

Rising Through the Ranks

In 2001, Basso joined the Fassa Bortolo team. He achieved several important victories that year. He also made his debut in the 2001 Tour de France. During one stage, he crashed on a mountain descent and had to leave the race.

The next two years didn't bring many wins, but he performed well in the Tour de France. In the 2002 Tour de France, Basso finished 11th overall. He also won the young rider classification. This award goes to the best rider under 25 in the overall standings.

Basso during the 2003 Tour de France.

He continued to impress in the 2003 Tour de France, finishing seventh overall. He was the best Italian rider in the race. Basso then moved to Team CSC for the 2004 season. His goal was to become a top contender in the Tour de France. Basso worked on improving his individual time trial skills. He even trained in a wind tunnel to become more aerodynamic on his bike.

Becoming a Top Contender

Basso (left) alongside Lance Armstrong at the 2004 Tour de France. Basso achieved his first Grand Tour stage victory at the race, on the twelfth stage.

Basso performed very well in the 2004 Tour de France. He won stage 12, his first victory since 2001. He finished third overall, 6 minutes and 40 seconds behind the winner. After the season, despite financial challenges for his team, Basso chose to stay with Team CSC.

In January 2005, Basso's mother passed away. He decided to focus on winning the 2005 Giro d'Italia in her memory. He led the race for a while, wearing the pink jersey. However, stomach problems caused him to lose a lot of time. He continued the race and won two individual stages. This showed his determination and improved time trial skills.

Basso at the 2005 Tour de France, where he finished the race second overall.

At the 2005 Tour de France, Basso was one of the few riders who could keep up with the race leader in the mountains. He finished second overall, 4 minutes and 40 seconds behind the winner. During this time, Basso signed a new contract with Team CSC.

Giro d'Italia Victory

2006 Giro d'Italia Win

Basso returned to the 2006 Giro d'Italia aiming for victory. His team, CSC, won the team time trial in stage 5. Basso's first individual stage win came in stage 8, a mountain finish. He rode to the finish alone, taking the leader's pink jersey. He kept this jersey for the rest of the race.

In stage 11, a long individual time trial, Basso finished second. He beat many strong riders. During the final week of the Giro, Basso showed his strength. He won stages 16 and 20. His victory in stage 20 was special. He held up a picture of his newborn son, Santiago, as he crossed the finish line. Basso won the Giro d'Italia by a huge margin, finishing over 9 minutes ahead of the second-placed rider. This was the largest winning margin in the Giro since 1965.

Return to Racing

After his suspension, Basso signed a contract with Team Liquigas. His first race back was the Japan Cup on October 26, 2008, where he finished third. In April 2009, he won the Giro del Trentino stage race in Italy. He then competed in the 2009 Giro d'Italia, finishing third overall. He also placed fourth in the 2009 Vuelta a España.

Second Giro d'Italia Win (2010)

Basso wearing the maglia rosa at the 2010 Giro d'Italia

In 2010, Basso set his sights on winning his second 2010 Giro d'Italia. He led the Liquigas team with his teammate Vincenzo Nibali. Basso had a quiet start but won stage 15 on Monte Zoncolan. After stage 19, he took the lead in the general classification and held it until the end. This secured his second Giro victory. Basso then tried to win both the Giro and the 2010 Tour de France in the same year, but he finished 32nd in the Tour.

Later Career

In 2011, Basso focused on the 2011 Tour de France instead of the Giro. He had a strong start and was fifth overall for the first two weeks. He finished seventh overall in the Tour. In 2012, Basso again focused on the 2012 Giro d'Italia, finishing fifth overall.

In August 2014, Basso announced he would join Team Tinkoff-Saxo for 2015. In July 2015, during the 2015 Tour de France, Basso announced he had been diagnosed with a serious health issue. He received support from many people, including Lance Armstrong.

In September 2015, Team Tinkoff-Saxo confirmed that Basso had fully recovered after surgery. However, Basso decided to retire from racing the following month. He stayed with the team in a management role. Later, he joined Alberto Contador at Team Trek-Segafredo in a support staff position.

Post Racing Career

After retiring from racing, Ivan Basso and Alberto Contador started a company called Aurum bikes in 2020. They design and sell bicycles.

Personal Life

Ivan Basso lives in Cassano Magnago, Italy, with his wife and four children. He has also bought land in his hometown to start a blueberry farm. He hopes to create jobs for local people and make an investment for his future. His farm is called "Il Borgo," which means "the village."

Ivan Basso is not related to the Italian cyclist Marino Basso or the bicycle brand Basso.

Major Results

Grand Tour General Classification Results Timeline

Grand Tour	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Giro d'Italia	DNF	52	—	—	—	—	28	1	—	—	3	1	—	5	—	15	51
Tour de France	—	—	DNF	11	7	3	2	—	—	—	—	31	7	25	—	—	DNF
/ Vuelta a España	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4	—	—	—	DNF	—	—

Images for kids

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  Basso at the 2009 Vuelta a Espana