Is Ivan Basso Done? Modest Results at Giro, Dauphine Cast Future Leadership Duties Into Doubt

Before Ivan Basso's suspension way back in 2006, the Italian was perceived to be on the precipice of cycling immortality. He had taken his first grand tour in his home country by more than nine minutes, dominating a deep and talented field. His competitors had been laid to waste, and Basso was the darling of the Italian and world cycling media. Newly crowned as Italy's best stage racer, Basso then prepared to take on the Tour de France, in hopes of completing the mythical double last accomplished by Marco Pantani.

Unfortunately though he would never get the chance, as he and several other top riders were barred from participating in the Tour at the eve of the start of the event. Operacion Puerto had broke, and Basso was one of the riders at the center of the investigation. In sticking with the code of Omerta in the sport of cycling, Basso denied everything, and set out to prove his innocence over the next few months.

As the months passed after the Tour de France, the noose closed around Basso and he was eventually forced to admit that he had in fact been involved in the Puerto scandal. He called a press conference, and then admitted what many already expected: He had in fact been involved, and was ready to serve his suspension. CONI obliged, handing him a two year ban, and he sat out of professional competition until just this past year. Returning under the Liquigas moniker, Basso promised both the media and his tifosi that he would be as strong as ever, and would get back to the top of the sport once again. He was the prohibitive favorite heading into the Giro, in part from his own claims that he was ready to win the event again.

So far though, Basso has been less than stellar in his return. After a lackluster Tour of California where he dropped out with an injury, he recovered before beginning his build up for the Giro d'Italia. Basso spoke about how he was ready to win the event, despite having a teammate who finished in the top five the year before in Franco Pellizotti. As May fast approached, Basso still hadn't notched a win, nor had he shown himself to be all that dominant in the mountains during smaller stage races.

At the Giro, it became clear that Basso was going to have a tough time holding onto his team's captaincy, let alone winning the overall classification. He lost time in the stage 12 time trial, and after that point there really was no question about Basso's chances to win the Giro . . . it simply was not going to happen. In an attempt to salvage his Giro, Basso went on the offensive for stage 15, attempting to take time back on race leader Denis Menchov. But his attack was unsuccessful, and the rest of the Giro for Basso was spent following wheels.

By the time the race was finished in Rome, Basso and his teammates were already doing damage control, explaining that the two year lay off would take time to come back from. While Basso's statements are true, the time has come to wonder whether he will ever get back to the level he was at when he was banned from competition. Just this week, he dropped out of the Dauphine Libere after not having made so much as a whimper in the race. Meanwhile, his younger teammate Vincenzo Nibali is riding high on the overall classification as he plans to take on the Tour de France in a few weeks time.

Ivan Basso is still a top rider in the sport of cycling, but it is looking like his days of being a designated team leader may be coming to an end. Franco Pellizotti is a very strong GC rider, and Nibali and Roman Kreuziger, though very young and relatively inexperienced, are beginning to show real promise as team leaders for grand tours. If Nibali and Kreuziger shine at the upcoming Tour de France, it could be bad news for Basso.

Basso has already made clear his intentions to race the Vuelta a Espana later this summer with the intent to win the overall title. He'll have plenty of time between now and then to prepare, and whether he knows it or not the Spanish grand tour is shaping up to be his most important race of his entire career. A flop in Spain would most certainly seal his fate as a past his prime rider, while a podium or even win would once again thrust him back to where he wants to be, that of a clear team leader on a Pro Tour team. One thing though is for sure: Ivan Basso won't be winning any grand tours by nine minutes in the future.