Bettini on the Boards

Bettini on the track in Milan. Photo by Giorgio.

It was supposed to be a special send-off, his last professional race ever, but it almost ended in tragedy. During a race on Tuesday at the Milan Six-Day event, Paolo Bettini crashed into the barriers when Yaroslav Popovych fell in front of him. Bettini's helmet was smashed, and he was taken to hospital in a neck brace and on a back board. "The incident was terrible. I couldn't remember anything for a few minutes," Bettini told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Compared to the consequences that I could have suffered, my present condition is reassuring." Thankfully, CAT scans revealed no injuries, and 48 hours later Bettini was back in the velodrome in Milan, this time partnering fellow Olympic and World champion Joan Llaneras in the Madison!

Llaneras and Bettini in the fray. Photo by Roberto Bettini.

Llaneras throws Bettini. There are so many world champ stripes and gold accents in this photo, it's crazy. They won the race, too. Photo by Giorgio.

Gold Specialized Langster. Baller. Photo by Giorgio.

You can read more about Bettini's crash at CyclingNews, and see some pics of Bettini post-crash over on MilanoFixed. Thanks a lot to Giorgio for letting me use his pics of the action. Check out more of his great cycling photos here.

Bettini Takes Vuelta Stage

How could anyone not love this guy? I was sad he didn't win a stage at the Giro, even though he was up there a good few times, so it's great to see him win a Vuelta stage before the Worlds. Can he win a third title? Photos: DIEGO TUSON/AFP/Getty Images.

Paolo Bettini Interview

Bettini in his World Champion kit, hanging with Danielson and Cancellara before a stage of the Tour of California. Photo by Team Pegasus rider Chris Padfield's Dad. More of his excellent photos here.

ProCycling has a good interview with Paolo Bettini on its website right now. In it he talks about racing, retiring, the Giro, and the possibility of him riding for another team. Bettini is one of my favorite riders in the pro peleton, not least because he always seems to be having fun. As he says in the interview, "If people wonder about my desire to race, I can say that when I put a race number on back, I enjoy myself. I think that was evident at the Giro." Really, Paolo? You had fun at the Giro? I would never have known...

Bettini clowning around with a tray of pastries and cakes that he distributed to other riders in the peleton. This is during a stage of the Giro, by the way... Photo borrowed from cyclingfans.com.