View source for Ivan Basso

{{short description|Italian cyclist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox cyclist
| name        = Ivan Basso
| image       = 2015 Tour de France team presentation, Ivan Basso.jpg
| caption     = Basso at the [[2015 Tour de France]]
| fullname    = Ivan Basso
| nickname    = Ivan the Terrible, The Smiling Assassin
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1977|11|26}}
| birth_place = [[Gallarate]], [[Province of Varese]], Italy
| height      = {{height|m=1.82}}<ref name="tdf-profile">{{cite web|title=Ivan Basso profile|url=http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2012/us/riders/liquigas-cannondale/basso-ivan.html?xtmc=basso&xtcr=1|access-date=2013-12-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227093007/http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2012/us/riders/liquigas-cannondale/basso-ivan.html?xtmc=basso&xtcr=1|archive-date=2013-12-27|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| weight      = {{convert|70|kg|lb stlb|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="tdf-profile" />
| currentteam = 
| discipline  = Road
| role        = {{unbulleted list|Rider|[[Directeur sportif]]}}
| ridertype   = [[Climbing specialist]]
| amateuryears1 = 1996–1999
| amateurteam1 = {{UCI team code|ZEF|1996}}
| proyears1   = 1998
| proteam1    = → {{UCI team code|ASI|1998}} ''([[Stagiaire (cycling)|stagiaire]])''
| proyears2   = 1999
| proteam2    = [[Riso Scotti]]
| proyears3   = 2000
| proteam3    = {{UCI team code|Amica Chips|2000}}
| proyears4   = 2001–2003
| proteam4    = {{UCI team code|FAS|2001}}
| proyears5   = 2004–2006
| proteam5    = {{UCI team code|CSC|2004}}
| proyears6   = 2007
| proteam6    = {{UCI team code|DSC|2007}}
| proyears7   = 2008–2014
| proteam7    = {{UCI team code|LIQ|2008}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uciworldtour.com/Modules/SUCI/TEAMS/TeamDetails.asp?id=MTY&RefDate=04.01.2013&MenuId=MTYzMDE&LangId=1&BackLink=%2Ftemplates%2FUCI%2FUCI2%2Flayout%2Easp%3FMenuId%3DMTYzMDE%26LangId%3D1|title=Cannondale (CAN) – ITA|access-date=4 January 2013|work=[[UCI World Tour]]|publisher=[[Union Cycliste Internationale]]}}</ref>
| proyears8   = 2015
| proteam8    = {{UCI team code|SAX|2015}}
| manageyears1 = 2016
| manageteam1 = {{UCI team code|SAX|2016}}
| manageyears2 = 2017
| manageteam2 = {{UCI team code|TFR|2017}}
| manageyears3 = 2018
| manageteam3 = {{UCI team code|EOK|2018}}
| majorwins   = '''[[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tours]]'''
:'''[[Tour de France]]'''
::[[Young rider classification in the Tour de France|Young rider classification]] ([[2002 Tour de France|2002]])
::1 individual stage ([[2004 Tour de France|2004]])
:'''[[Giro d'Italia]]'''
::'''[[General classification in the Giro d'Italia|General classification]]''' ([[2006 Giro d'Italia|2006]], [[2010 Giro d'Italia|2010]])
::6 individual stages ([[2005 Giro d'Italia|2005]], [[2006 Giro d'Italia|2006]], [[2010 Giro d'Italia|2010]]) 
::2 TTT stages ([[2006 Giro d'Italia|2006]], [[2010 Giro d'Italia|2010]])
'''[[Race stage|Stage races]]'''
:[[Danmark Rundt]] ([[2005 Danmark Rundt|2005]])
:[[Critérium International]] (2006)
:[[Giro del Trentino]] ([[2009 Giro del Trentino|2009]])
}}
'''Ivan Basso''' (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional [[road bicycle racer]], who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed [[Ivan the Terrible]],<ref name="terrible" /> was considered among the best [[Climbing specialist|mountain riders]] in the professional field in the early 21st century, and was considered one of the strongest [[stage race]] riders. He is a double winner of the [[Giro d'Italia]], having won the race in [[2006 Giro d'Italia|2006]] for {{UCI team code|CSC|2006}} and [[2010 Giro d'Italia|2010]] for {{UCI team code|LIQ|2010}}.

In 2007, Basso admitted to planning the use of blood [[Doping in sport|doping]] and was suspended for two years. His suspension ended on 24 October 2008, and he returned to racing two days later in the [[Japan Cup (cycling)|Japan Cup]], where he placed a close third behind [[Damiano Cunego]] and [[Giovanni Visconti (cyclist)|Giovanni Visconti]].<ref>{{Cite web| title = Cunego wins Japan Cup  | publisher = VeloNews  | date = 2008-10-26  | url = http://www.velonews.com/article/84632/cunego-wins-japan-cup  | access-date =  2008-11-15}}</ref> He later returned to racing in his home tour, and in 2010, he won his second Giro d'Italia, winning two stages along the way.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/sports/cycling/31sportsbriefs-giro.html?_r=0|title = After 2-Year Suspension, Basso Wins 2nd Giro d'Italia|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 31 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/giro-ditalia/basso-nears-second-giro-win-one-the-uci-says-is-clean-60486|title=Basso nears second Giro win, one the UCI says is clean|date=29 May 2010|work=Cycling Weekly}}</ref>

==Biography==
He was born in [[Gallarate]], located in the [[province of Varese]] in [[Lombardy]]. He grew up next door to [[Claudio Chiappucci]], a former three-time stage winner in the [[Tour de France]] who was suspended for two years after being proven guilty of doping several times.

As an amateur, he finished second in the road race at the 1995 UCI Juniors Road World Championships and his first big result was winning the under-23 road race at the [[1998 UCI Road World Championships]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} In his youth he fiercely competed with fellow Italian riders [[Giuliano Figueras]] and especially [[Danilo Di Luca]] who proclaimed he would have won the under-23 World Championship himself had it not been for the team tactics.<ref name="smiling1">{{Cite web |first=Michael |last=Akinde |url=http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=9296 |title=The Smiling Assassin: Ivan Basso Part 1 |work=DailyPeloton |date=2006-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708223026/http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=9296 |archive-date=2011-07-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Before Basso could turn professional, his parents wanted to see him finish his [[Technical Geometry]] studies. He turned professional with [[Davide Boifava]]'s Riso Scotti–Vinavil team in 1999, where he rode his first [[Giro d'Italia]]. He did not finish the three-week race, but he made it a priority to win it someday.<ref name="terrible">{{Cite web|author=John Wilcockson and Andrew Hood |url=http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/9092.0.html |title=''Ivan il Terrible'': The Charmed Life of Italy's Hottest Star |work=VeloNews |date=2005-10-27 |access-date=2005-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051102000357/http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/9092.0.html |archive-date=2005-11-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2000, with the team now called {{UCI team code|Amica Chips|2000}}, he won his first professional victories in the [[Regio-Tour]].

===Promising results===
In 2001, he moved to {{UCI team code|FAS|2001}} under the guidance of sporting director [[Giancarlo Ferretti]]. He scored several notable victories in 2001, and he made his Tour de France debut in the [[2001 Tour de France|2001 edition]]. His attack on the [[Bastille Day]] stage prompted a five-man breakaway which rode for the victory, but Basso crashed on a mountain descent and was forced to abandon the race.

His next two years were devoid of significant wins, even though he had promising rides in the Tour de France. In the [[2002 Tour de France]], Basso finished 11th overall and won the [[young rider classification in the Tour de France|young rider classification]], the award presented to the best-placed rider in the [[general classification]] under the age of 25.

[[File:Ivan Basso Gaillac.jpg|thumb|left|Basso during the [[2003 Tour de France]]]]
He impressed again in the [[2003 Tour de France]], finishing seventh overall in spite of receiving little help from his Fassa Bortolo teammates who, after dedicating their efforts in the first part of the race to help [[Alessandro Petacchi]] win four stages, had to pull out due to food poisoning, leaving only two riders to help Basso. Despite his good results as the best placed Italian rider in the Tour de France, he was behind fellow Italian teammate [[Dario Frigo]] in the Fassa Bortolo pecking order for the biggest race in Italy, the Giro.<ref name="terrible"/> After the promising start to his Fassa Bortolo career, Basso's relationship with Ferretti turned sour. Basso failed to respond well to the management methods of the "iron sergeant", who thought Basso did not win enough races.

Apart from the [[individual time trial]] stages, Basso had only lost around a single minute to winner Lance Armstrong in the 2003 Tour, and he was not short of new team offers. Despite strong rumours sending him to the {{UCI team code|DSC|2004}} team,<ref name="smiling1"/> Basso moved to {{UCI team code|CSC|2004}} for the 2004 season, under the guidance of team manager [[Bjarne Riis]]. At {{UCI team code|CSC|2004|nolink=yes}}, Basso was to fill the role as team captain, which [[Tyler Hamilton]] had left vacant at the [[Denmark|Danish]] outfit, with the main aim to be a challenger in the Tour de France. Basso's weakness was the time trial, and before the 2004 seaso,n he and teammate [[Carlos Sastre]] trained in a [[wind tunnel]] at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] to improve their [[aerodynamics]] and positioning on the bike. The time trial skill of Basso was one of the main points of improvement over the next years.

===Heir apparent===
[[File:Basso Armstrong Tourmalet 2004.jpg|thumb|left|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 looked impressive in the [[2004 Tour de France]], winning stage 12 ahead of eventual winner [[Lance Armstrong]], his first victory since 2001. His overall time was hurt by relatively poor time trial results: he only finished 8th on the stage 16 time trial up the mountain [[Alpe d'Huez]], where he was caught and passed by Armstrong, and 6th in the stage 19 time trial. In all, he lost a combined 5 minutes and 13 seconds in the two stages. His time loss on the last time trial effectively sent Basso down to third place behind [[Andreas Klöden]], and Basso finished 6:40 behind overall winner Armstrong. He ended the season, participating with the Italian national team in the [[2004 UCI Road World Championships]] in [[Verona]], helping fellow Italian [[Luca Paolini]] get a bronze medal. In the off-season, Team CSC was in a financial struggle. Even as Bjarne Riis let riders who received superior offers from other teams leave, Basso did not move to the {{UCI team code|DSC|2005}} team even though an economically more lucrative contract was proposed.<ref name="terrible"/>

January 2005 saw the death of Basso's mother, who died after battling cancer. Basso went on to focus on the [[2005 Giro d'Italia]], in her memory, as his main aim for that season. By both focusing on winning the Giro and the Tour, he was going against the trend of only aiming for one big race a season, a tactic most notably employed successfully by Lance Armstrong.<ref name="smiling2">{{Cite web |first=Michael |last=Akinde |url=http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=9298 |title=The Smiling Assassin: Ivan Basso Part 2 |work=DailyPeloton |date=2006-04-29 |access-date=2006-05-01 |archive-date=2012-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307191435/http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=9298 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Basso wore the pink jersey as leader of the [[General classification in the Giro d'Italia]] until severe stomach problems caused him to lose the lead on stage 13 on the Passo delle Erbe. He lost another 40 minutes during the 14th stage, a mountain stage which included the [[Stelvio Pass]], and thus effectively ended his bid for overall honours. No longer dangerous to the other main riders, Basso decided to continue in the race with the objective of winning individual stages. He did manage to achieve this goal at stage 17, a mountain stage. He also won the 18th stage, a time trial, ahead of teammate [[David Zabriskie]], demonstrating the improvement he had made in this area.

[[File:Tour de france 2005 20th stage 02.jpg|thumb|Basso at the [[2005 Tour de France]], where he finished the race second overall.]]
At the [[2005 Tour de France]], he started out comparatively weakly on stage 10, the first mountain stage of the race, where he trailed the front group by a minute. But for the rest of the race, Basso was once again the only rider to keep up with the race leader, Lance Armstrong, in the mountains, and on occasion, he tried to pressure the eventual winner by going on the attack. Basso was still weaker in the time trials, although he had improved significantly when compared to 2004. He lost a collective 3:47 over two time trial stages, as Basso placed second overall in the Tour, 4:40 behind Lance Armstrong. During the 2005 Tour de France, Basso signed a new three-year contract with Team CSC.

===2006 Giro d'Italia===
{{See also|2006 Giro d'Italia}}
[[File:GiroItalia2006IvanBasso.jpg|thumb|left|Basso at the [[2006 Giro d'Italia]]]]
Following his overall rank of 28th in the [[2005 Giro d'Italia]], Basso returned to the Giro in 2006, intending to win. Following a good performance in the [[2006 Giro d'Italia#Stage 1, 06-05-2006: Seraing, 6.2 km. (ITT)|stage 1]] time trial, Basso and his CSC teammates won the [[2006 Giro d'Italia#Stage 5, 11-05-2006: Piacenza–Cremona, 35 km. (TTT)|5th stage]], a [[team time trial]]. Basso's first solo stage victory came on the [[2006 Giro d'Italia#Stage 8, 14-05-2006: Civitanova Marche–Maielletta, 171 km.|8th stage]], the first mountaintop finish of the Giro, where he countered an attack by [[Damiano Cunego]] and rode to the finish by himself. That victory also allowed him to gain enough time on his rivals to put him in the leader's pink jersey for the first time in the race, a jersey which he would hold on to for the remaining 13 stages.

[[2006 Giro d'Italia#Stage 11, 18-05-2006: Pontedera, 50 km. (ITT)|Stage 11]] was a long and flat<ref>{{cite web|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2006//giro06/?id=stages/giro0611|title=www.cyclingnews.com presents the 89th Giro d'Italia|work=cyclingnews.com}}</ref> individual time trial where Basso finished in second place, losing only to former two-time [[UCI Road World Championships – Men's time trial|world time trial champion]] [[Jan Ullrich]], beating riders like the Italian national time trial champion [[Marco Pinotti]]. During the last week of the 2006 Giro, Basso beat his main rivals for the general classification, and won stages [[2006 Giro d'Italia#Stage 16, 23-05-2006: Rovato–Trento, 173 km.|16]] and [[2006 Giro d'Italia#Stage 20, 27-05-2006: Trento–Aprica, 211 km.|20]] along the way. His victory in Stage 20, where he rode to a solo victory on the final ascent into [[Aprica]] after riding away from rival [[Gilberto Simoni]], was notable when he, already sure of his victory, pulled out a picture of his newly born son Santiago, and held it aloft as he crossed the finish line. Santiago Basso had been born the previous day, and Basso had not yet seen his son in the flesh, having been given the picture only hours before the stage started. When rival Simoni rolled across the line over a minute behind Basso, he was clearly upset at being beaten and made a remark that Basso's dominance at that year's Giro was "extra-terrestrial."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2006//giro06/?id=results/giro0620|title=www.cyclingnews.com presents the 89th Giro d'Italia|work=cyclingnews.com}}</ref> Basso eventually finished 9 minutes 18 seconds up on the second placed rider, [[José Enrique Gutiérrez]], the largest margin of victory in the Giro d'Italia since 1965. After the last stage of the race, Basso declared that he would continue along his pre-season plan to also ride the [[2006 Tour de France|Tour de France]].

===Operación Puerto and the 2006 Tour de France===
{{See also|Operación Puerto doping case}}
On 30 June 2006, the management of the Tour de France announced at a press conference that a number of riders, including Ivan Basso, would not be riding in the race due to rumours of [[blood doping]] stemming from the [[Operación Puerto doping case]] in Spain. According to the investigation, Basso was allegedly given blood doping by doctor [[Eufemiano Fuentes]] in a Spanish clinic. No formal charges had been raised, but following an agreement between the managers of all the ProTour teams, any rider under suspicion of doping would not be allowed to start in ProTour races. This forced CSC to remove Basso from their squad for the 2006 Tour.

Speculation in the Italian press suggested that, should Basso not be banned, he would be joining the Discovery Channel team. Team CSC described these suggestions as just rumours.<ref>{{Cite news
| last      = Lowe
| first     = Felix
| title     = Riis denies Basso Discovery link
| work      = Eurosport.com
| publisher = Eurosport
| date      = 2006-07-18
| url       = http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/tour-de-france/2006/sport_sto927232.shtml
}}</ref> Later, CSC manager Bjarne Riis was reported stating that it was unlikely that Basso could return to CSC without proving he had no contact with Fuentes, as Basso's contract specified that he could receive no outside medical assistance. Riis conceded that it might be impossible for Basso to prove beyond doubt. Rumours also talked about Basso moving to {{UCI team code|MRM|2007}} or {{UCI team code|BAR|2007}} (a non-ProTour team).<ref>{{Cite news
| title     = Basso may consider non-ProTour teams
| work      = CyclingNews.com
| date      = 2006-10-19
| url       = http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/oct06/oct19news2
}}</ref> The [[Italian National Olympic Committee]] (CONI) proceedings commenced in late August 2006.

====From CSC to Team Discovery Channel====
[[File:Basso, Ivan - Amgen 2007.jpg|thumb|right|Basso at the [[2007 Tour of California]]]]
On 18 October 2006, Team CSC announced that his contract had been terminated by mutual consent.<ref>{{Cite web  | title = Ivan Basso To Leave Team CSC  | publisher = Team CSC  | date = 2006-10-18  | url = http://www.team-csc.com/ny_news.asp?n_id=1116&lang=uk  | access-date = 2006-10-18  | archive-date = 2007-09-28  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928011734/http://www.team-csc.com/ny_news.asp?n_id=1116&lang=uk  | url-status = dead  }}</ref> On 27 October 2006, Basso was acquitted of any involvement in the Operation Puerto events by the committee, due to insufficient evidence.<ref>{{Cite news
| last      = Maloney
| first     = Tim
| title     = Good news for Basso & other riders implicated in Operación Puerto: Spanish federation shelves files, opens disciplinary investigations of Saiz, others
| work      = CyclingNews.com
| date      = 2006-10-29
| url       = http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/oct06/oct29news
}}</ref>

On 9 November 2006, Basso announced he was joining [[Lance Armstrong]]'s former team, {{UCI team code|DSC|2007}}. The announcement was made in Austin, Texas, and Basso joined the team on 3 December 2006 for the first unofficial training camp. Basso rode for [[Levi Leipheimer]] during the [[2007 Tour of California]],<ref>{{Cite news
| last      = Brown
| first     = Gregor
| title     = Basso invests in Leipheimer
| work      = CyclingNews.com
| date      = 2007-02-23
| url       = http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/feb07/feb23news2
}}</ref>
and also raced [[2007 Tirreno–Adriatico|Tirreno–Adriatico]], where he crashed.<ref>{{Cite news
| title     = Basso and Bettini crash in Tirreno–Adriatico
| work      = CyclingNews.com
| date      = 2007-03-17
| url       = http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/mar07/mar17news
}}</ref>

====Puerto case reopened====
On 24 April 2007, Basso was suspended by Discovery Channel when the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) reopened his case. On 30 April 2007, Team Discovery Channel announced that Basso would be released from his contract. Basso requested to leave the team, citing "personal reasons related to the re-opened investigation by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI)." Basso met with the General Manager of Team Discovery Channel, [[Bill Stapleton (swimmer)|Bill Stapleton]], and [[Johan Bruyneel]], the Team Director, and the two agreed to allow Basso to leave the team.<ref name="bassoleftdisco">{{Cite news|title=Basso's request to leave Team Discovery Channel is granted |url= http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/may07/may01news |work=Cyclingnews.com |access-date=2007-05-01 |date=2007-05-01}}</ref> While still claiming to never have actually engaged in blood doping, Basso admitted contacting Fuentes' clinic with the intention to engage in blood doping.<ref>Agence France-Presse  [http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/12220.0.html "Basso admits only to 'attempted' doping"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516042243/http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/12220.0.html |date=2008-05-16 }}. ''VeloNews''.&nbsp;– 8 May 2007.</ref>

Basso appeared before the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) on 2 May 2007.<ref>{{Cite news
| url        = http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/may07/may03news
| title      = CONI adjourns Basso hearing : New date to be announced in 'ongoing' investigation
| access-date = 2007-05-08
| date       = 2007-05-03
| first      = Gregor
| last       = Brown
| work       = Cyclingnews.com}}</ref> On 7 May 2007, Basso admitted his involvement with the drug scandal to the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).<ref>{{Cite web
 |title=Basso admits role in doping scandal 
 |first=Ariel 
 |last=David 
 |publisher=AP News 
 |date=2007-05-08 
 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070507/ap_on_sp_ot/cyc_basso_doping 
 |access-date=2007-05-08 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509113145/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070507/ap_on_sp_ot/cyc_basso_doping 
 |archive-date=2007-05-09 
 |url-status=dead 
}}</ref> In a later press conference, he stated it was "attempted doping", and that while he had not actually undergone doping, he was "fully aware that an attempt at doping is tantamount to doping" and that "[he would] serve [his] suspension and then return to race."<ref>{{Cite web
| title      = Basso: "It was only attempted doping"
| first      = Gregor
| last       = Brown
| publisher  = CyclingNews.com
| date       = 2007-05-08
| url        = http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/may07/may08news3
| access-date = 2007-05-08}}</ref>

On 15 June 2007, Basso received a two-year ban. The time he had already spent under team suspension whilst riding for CSC and temporary suspension since leaving Discovery was taken into consideration, which meant he was banned until 25 October 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/6693357.stm |title=Basso handed two-year doping ban |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2007-06-15 |access-date=2007-06-15}}</ref>

===Return after suspension===
[[File:Ivan Basso (Vuelta a Espana 2009 - Stage 1).jpg|thumb|left|Basso at the [[2009 Vuelta a Espana]]]]
After his return, Basso signed a two-year contract with {{UCI team code|LIQ|2008}}, his first race being in the [[Japan Cup (cycling)|Japan Cup]] on 26 October 2008. He proceeded to finish third, behind [[Damiano Cunego]] and [[Giovanni Visconti (cyclist)|Giovanni Visconti]]. In April 2009, he claimed overall victory in the Italian stage race [[2009 Giro del Trentino|Giro del Trentino]]. He then competed in his main objective for the year, the [[2009 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]], where he finished fifth behind eventual winner [[Denis Menchov]], [[Danilo Di Luca]], fellow {{UCI team code|LIQ|2009|nolink=yes}} rider [[Franco Pellizotti]] and [[2008 Tour de France]] winner [[Carlos Sastre]]. He also placed 4th in the [[2009 Vuelta a España|Vuelta a España]] behind [[Alejandro Valverde]], [[Samuel Sánchez]], and [[Cadel Evans]] respectively.
====2010====
{{See also|2010 Giro d'Italia}}
[[File:Giro de Italia 2010-Etapa 21-Ivan Basso.jpg|thumb|right|Basso wearing the [[maglia rosa]] at the [[2010 Giro d'Italia]]]]
In 2010, Basso aimed to win his second [[2010 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]], leading {{UCI team code|LIQ|2010|nolink=yes}} with his teammate Vincenzo Nibali. Despite having a quiet start to the race, he won the 15th stage of the race atop Monte Zoncolan, after his Liquigas team had set the pace for some {{convert|150|km|abbr=off}} in order to chase down a breakaway. After Stage 19, he led the [[General classification in the Giro d'Italia|general classification]] as a result of out-climbing previous race leader [[David Arroyo]], and held it to the end of the race.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/8713804.stm|title=Italy's Ivan Basso wins second Giro d'Italia title|date=2010-05-30|publisher=[[BBC Sport]]|access-date=2010-05-31}}</ref> This resulted in his second Giro win, after [[2006 Giro d'Italia|2006]]. Basso then focused on the [[2010 Tour de France|Tour de France]] where he attempted to win the Giro and the Tour during the same year, but he ended up struggling through the last week, finishing 32nd.

====2011====
In 2011, Basso skipped the [[2011 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]] to focus on the [[2011 Tour de France|Tour de France]]. After having a good start over the first 2 weeks, sitting 5th overall, Basso struggled on stages 16 and 17 after being dropped on the final descents, and later finished 7th overall.

====2012====
In 2012, Basso started the season with quiet form, focusing on the [[2012 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]], but only finishing 5th overall.

===Tinkoff-Saxo===
In August 2014, it was announced that Basso would be joining {{UCI team code|SAX|2015}} from 2015 on a two-year deal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/ivan-basso-signs-tinkoff-saxo-team-2015-133373 |title=Ivan Basso signs with Tinkoff-Saxo team for 2015 |last1=Wynn |first1=Nigel  |date=19 August 2014 |website=[[Cycling Weekly]] |access-date=19 August 2014}}</ref> In July 2015, Basso was diagnosed with testicular cancer and immediately withdrew from the [[2015 Tour de France|Tour de France]] to seek treatment in Italy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ivan-basso-diagnosed-with-testicular-cancer|title=Ivan Basso diagnosed with testicular cancer|website=[[Cyclingnews.com]]|date=13 July 2015|access-date=13 July 2015|last=Ryan|first=Barry}}</ref> Basso received support from a number of people including [[Lance Armstrong]]. Basso made the announcement to the media in those terms: "I have a bad announcement to give to you guys", Basso said. "On stage 5, I had a really small crash but in the crash I touched my testicle on the saddle and for a few days, I felt a small pain. Yesterday we spoke with the doctor of the Tour de France and we decided to go to make a special analysis in the hospital and the examination gave me bad news. I have a small cancer in the left testicle."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/ivan-basso-leaves-tour-de-france-with-testicular-cancer_377869|title=Ivan Basso leaves Tour de France with testicular cancer|work=[[VeloNews]]|publisher=[[Competitor Group, Inc.]]|date=13 July 2015|access-date=13 July 2015|archive-date=15 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715154357/http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/07/news/ivan-basso-leaves-tour-de-france-with-testicular-cancer_377869|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In September 2015 {{UCI team code|SAX|2015|nolink=yes}} confirmed that Basso had recovered fully after undergoing surgery in Milan and that he would be able to race again.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/25/basso-racing-all-clear-cancer-operation |title=Ivan Basso given all-clear to race again after testicular cancer operation|date=25 September 2015 |website=[[theguardian.com]] |access-date=5 October 2015}}</ref> However, after Basso had talks with the team it was announced that he would retire from competition the following month, whilst remaining with {{UCI team code|SAX|2015|nolink=yes}} in a management role.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ivan-basso-announces-retirement-from-professional-cycling/ |title=Ivan Basso announces retirement from professional cycling |date=5 October 2015 |website=[[cyclingnews.com]] |access-date=5 October 2015}}</ref> Basso later followed [[Alberto Contador]] to {{UCI team code|TFS|2017}}, taking up a support staff position.<ref>{{cite web |title=Basso follows Contador to Trek–Segafredo in support staff role |url=https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/basso-follows-contador-to-trek-segafredo-in-support-staff-role/ |website=cyclingnews.com |access-date=28 October 2019 |date=16 September 2016}}</ref>

== Post racing ==
{{Main|Aurum bikes}}

Following his exit from racing, Basso and [[Alberto Contador]] opened up [[Aurum bikes]] in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aurum bikes is the winning brand of Contador and Basso. |url=https://global.velodrom.cc/bicycles-aurum-bikes/ |website=velodrom.cc |access-date=19 December 2023}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Basso resides in [[Cassano Magnago]], Italy, with his wife and four children.

He has now purchased land in his home town to start a blueberry farm where he hopes to employ locals as well as make an investment for his retirement from cycling as the future of the European economy is uncertain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/10632/Ivan-Basso-starts-a-blueberry-farm-in-his-home-town.aspx|title=Ivan Basso starts a blueberry farm in his home town|work=velonation.com}}</ref> Basso has already begun planting; his farm is called "Il Borgo" or "the village".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forzaivan.sportblog.fr/978525/Ivan-et-Cassano-la-belle-histoire/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130213180425/http://forzaivan.sportblog.fr/978525/Ivan-et-Cassano-la-belle-histoire/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-02-13|title=FORZA IVAN !|author=forzaivan|work=forzaivan.sportblog.fr/}}</ref>

He is not related to Italian cyclist [[Marino Basso]], nor the bicycle brand [[Basso Bikes|Basso]].

==Major results==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
;1995
: 2nd [[File:Silver medal uci.svg|15px]] Road race, [[1995 UCI Road World Championships|UCI Junior Road World Championships]]
: 3rd Overall [[Giro della Lunigiana]]
;1997
: 1st [[Trofeo Città di San Vendemiano]]
: 1st [[:fr:Piccola Sanremo|Piccola Sanremo]]
: 9th [[Trofeo Banca Popolare di Vicenza]]
: 9th [[Gran Premio Palio del Recioto]]
;1998
: 1st [[File:Jersey rainbow.svg|20px]] [[1998 UCI Road World Championships – Men's under-23 road race|Road race]], [[1998 UCI Road World Championships|UCI Road World Under-23 Championships]]
: 2nd [[Trofeo Gianfranco Bianchin]]
: 6th [[Trofeo Città di San Vendemiano]]
: 8th [[Firenze–Pistoia]]
: 9th [[:it:Coppa Fiera di Mercatale|Coppa Fiera di Mercatale]]
;1999
: 2nd [[Trofeo Matteotti]]
: 2nd [[Giro del Friuli]]
: 3rd [[Gran Premio Palio del Recioto]]
: 6th [[1999 HEW Cyclassics|HEW Cyclassics]]
: 6th [[Tre Valli Varesine]]
: 6th [[Gran Premio della Liberazione]]
: 7th [[Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato]]
;2000
: 2nd Overall [[Regio-Tour]]
:: 1st Stages 1 & 3b ([[Individual time trial|ITT]])
: 5th [[Giro dell'Emilia]]
: 6th [[Tre Valli Varesine]]
: 7th [[Vuelta a Mallorca|Trofeo Andratx-Mirador d'Es Colomer]]
: 8th [[Giro del Lazio]]
;2001
: 1st Stage 1 [[La Méditerranéenne|Tour Méditerranéen]]
: 1st Stage 5 [[Euskal Bizikleta]]
: 1st Stage 5 [[Tour of Austria]]
: 2nd [[2001 La Flèche Wallonne|La Flèche Wallonne]]
: 4th [[Italian National Road Race Championships|Road race]], National Road Championships
: 4th [[Giro dell'Etna|Trofeo dell'Etna]]
: 6th [[Giro dell'Emilia]]
: 7th [[Coppa Placci]]
: 8th [[Trofeo Melinda]]
: 9th [[Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi]]
;2002
: 1st [[File:Jersey white.svg|20px]] [[Young rider classification in the Tour de France|Young rider classification]], [[2002 Tour de France|Tour de France]]
: 2nd Overall [[2002 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana|Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana]]
: 2nd [[Giro dell'Emilia]]
: 3rd [[2002 Liège–Bastogne–Liège|Liège–Bastogne–Liège]]
: 5th [[Gran Premio Città di Camaiore]]
: 6th [[Giro del Lazio]]
: 8th [[Tre Valli Varesine]]
: 9th [[2002 Züri-Metzgete|Züri-Metzgete]]
;2003
: 2nd [[2003 Clásica de San Sebastián|Clásica de San Sebastián]]
: 5th Overall [[2003 Volta a Catalunya|Volta a Catalunya]]
: 6th [[Giro del Veneto]]
: 6th [[Coppa Placci]]
: 7th Overall [[2003 Tour de France|Tour de France]]
: 7th [[GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano]]
: 7th [[Coppa Bernocchi]]
: 8th [[Giro di Toscana]]
: 10th [[2003 Liège–Bastogne–Liège|Liège–Bastogne–Liège]]
: 10th [[Firenze–Pistoia]]
;2004
: 1st [[Giro dell'Emilia]]
: 2nd Overall [[La Méditerranéenne|Tour Méditerranéen]]
: 3rd Overall [[2004 Tour de France|Tour de France]]
:: 1st Stage 12
: 3rd [[2004 Giro di Lombardia|Giro di Lombardia]]
: 6th [[2004 Clásica de San Sebastián|Clásica de San Sebastián]]
: 7th Overall [[2004 Tour de Romandie|Tour de Romandie]]
: 8th [[2004 Liège–Bastogne–Liège|Liège–Bastogne–Liège]]
;2005
: 1st [[File:Jersey yellow.svg|20px]] Overall [[2005 Danmark Rundt|Danmark Rundt]]
:: 1st Stages 1, 2, 3 & 5 ([[Individual time trial|ITT]])
: [[2005 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]]
:: 1st Stages 17 & 18 ([[Individual time trial|ITT]])
::Held [[File:Jersey pink.svg|20px]] after Stages 11–12
: 2nd Overall [[2005 Tour de France|Tour de France]]
: 4th Overall [[Critérium International]]
;2006
: 1st [[File:Jersey pink.svg|20px]] Overall [[2006 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]]
:: 1st Stages 5 ([[Team time trial|TTT]]), 8, 16 & 20
: 1st [[File:Jersey yellow.svg|20px]] Overall [[Critérium International]]
:: 1st Stage 2
: 4th Overall [[Région Pays de la Loire Tour|Circuit de la Sarthe]]
::1st Stage 2b ([[Individual time trial|ITT]])
: 6th Overall [[2006 Tirreno–Adriatico|Tirreno–Adriatico]]
: 10th [[2006 Liège–Bastogne–Liège|Liège–Bastogne–Liège]]
;2008
: 3rd [[Japan Cup (cycling)|Japan Cup]]
;2009
: 1st [[File:Jersey violet.svg|20px]] Overall [[2009 Giro del Trentino|Giro del Trentino]]
: 3rd Overall [[2009 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]]
: 4th Overall [[2009 Vuelta a España|Vuelta a España]]
: 4th [[Trofeo Melinda]]
: 5th Overall [[2009 Tirreno–Adriatico|Tirreno–Adriatico]]
: 5th Overall [[2009 Tour de San Luis|Tour de San Luis]]
;2010
: 1st [[File:Jersey pink.svg|20px]] Overall [[2010 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]]
:: 1st Stages 4 ([[Team time trial|TTT]]) & 15
: 1st [[Gran Premio Industria e Commercio Artigianato Carnaghese]]
: 5th Overall [[2010 Giro del Trentino|Giro del Trentino]]
;2011
: 1st [[File:Jersey green.svg|20px]] Overall [[2011 Giro di Padania|Giro di Padania]]
:: 1st Stage 4
: 1st [[Gran Premio di Lugano]]
: 4th Overall [[2011 Tirreno–Adriatico|Tirreno–Adriatico]]
: 4th [[2011 Giro di Lombardia|Giro di Lombardia]]
: 7th Overall [[2011 Tour de France|Tour de France]]
: 7th Overall [[2011 Volta a Catalunya|Volta a Catalunya]]
: 10th [[Trofeo Laigueglia]]
: 10th [[Japan Cup (cycling)|Japan Cup]]
;2012
: 1st [[Japan Cup (cycling)|Japan Cup]]
: 5th Overall [[2012 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]]
;2013
: 4th Overall [[2013 Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali|Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali]]
: 8th Overall [[2013 Tour de Pologne|Tour de Pologne]]
: 9th Overall [[2013 Tour of Beijing|Tour of Beijing]]
: 10th Overall [[2013 Vuelta a Burgos|Vuelta a Burgos]]
{{div col end}}

===Grand Tour general classification results timeline===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | [[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tour]]
! scope="col" | 1999
! scope="col" | 2000
! scope="col" | 2001
! scope="col" | 2002
! scope="col" | 2003
! scope="col" | 2004
! scope="col" | 2005
! scope="col" | 2006
! scope="col" | 2007
! scope="col" | 2008
! scope="col" | 2009
! scope="col" | 2010
! scope="col" | 2011
! scope="col" | 2012
! scope="col" | 2013
! scope="col" | 2014
! scope="col" | 2015
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | [[File:Jersey pink.svg|20px|link=General classification in the Giro d'Italia|alt=A pink jersey]] [[General classification in the Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]]
| [[1999 Giro d'Italia|DNF]]
| [[2000 Giro d'Italia|52]]
| —
| —
| —
| —
| [[2005 Giro d'Italia|28]]
| style="background:pink;"|  [[2006 Giro d'Italia|'''1''']]
| —
| —
| style="background:#ddf;"  |[[2009 Giro d'Italia|'''3''']]
| style="background:pink;"  |[[2010 Giro d'Italia|'''1''']]
| —
| style="background:#ddf;"  |[[2012 Giro d'Italia|5]]
| —
| [[2014 Giro d'Italia|15]]
| [[2015 Giro d'Italia|51]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | [[File:Jersey yellow.svg|20px|link=General classification in the Tour de France|alt=A yellow jersey]] [[General classification in the Tour de France|Tour de France]]
| —
| —
| [[2001 Tour de France|DNF]]
| [[2002 Tour de France|11]]
| style="background:#ddf;"  |[[2003 Tour de France|7]]
| style="background:#ddf;"  |[[2004 Tour de France|'''3''']]
| style="background:#ddf;"  |[[2005 Tour de France|'''2''']]
| —
| —
| —
| —
| [[2010 Tour de France|31]]
| style="background:#ddf;"  |[[2011 Tour de France|7]]
| [[2012 Tour de France|25]]
| —
| —
| [[2015 Tour de France|DNF]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | [[File:Jersey gold.svg|20px]]/[[File:Jersey red.svg|20px|link=General classification in the Vuelta a España|alt=A red jersey]] [[List of Vuelta a España general classification winners|Vuelta a España]]
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="background:#ddf;"  |[[2009 Vuelta a España|4]]
| —
| —
| —
| [[2013 Vuelta a España|DNF]]
| —
| —
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Legend
|-
! scope="row" | —
| Did not compete
|-
! scope="row" | [[Did not finish|DNF]]
| Did not finish
|}

==See also==
* [[List of doping cases in cycling]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.ivanbasso.it}} {{in lang|it}}
* {{sports links}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150923215436/http://www.dlcmagazine.com/entrevista-a-ivan-basso-mi-idolo-siempre-fue-indurain/ Interview with Ivan Basso: "My idol has always been Miguel Indurain"]

{{giro d'Italia general classification winners}}
{{UCI Road World Champions – Men's under-23 road race}}
{{Tour de France young rider classification winners}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basso, Ivan}}
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:Danmark Rundt winners]]
[[Category:Doping cases in cycling]]
[[Category:Giro d'Italia winners]]
[[Category:Italian Giro d'Italia stage winners]]
[[Category:Italian male cyclists]]
[[Category:Italian sportspeople in doping cases]]
[[Category:Italian Tour de France stage winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Gallarate]]
[[Category:Cyclists from the Province of Varese]]