1. Paolo Bettini was born on 1 April 1974 and is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the former coach of the Italian national cycling team.
22 Facts About Paolo Bettini
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Paolo Bettini is nicknamed Il Grillo for his repeated sudden attacks and his sprinting style.
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Paolo Bettini lived with his family on the Tuscany coast.
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Paolo Bettini began racing when he was seven and won 23 of his first 24 races.
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Paolo Bettini started racing after the encouragement of his brother.
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Paolo Bettini came fourth in the world under-23 road championship in 1996, behind three other Italians, Giuliano Fugeras, Roberti Sgambelluri and Luca Sironi.
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Paolo Bettini turned professional the following year for the MG-Technogym team.
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Bartoli fell heavily on a knee in 1999 and Paolo Bettini was freed to race for himself.
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Paolo Bettini won the 2001 Zuri-Metzgete after a few months without wins, beating Jan Ullrich in the sprint to the finish.
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Paolo Bettini played strong support in Mario Cipollini's victory in the UCI Road Cycling World Championship in Zolder, Belgium.
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Paolo Bettini failed to win the UCI Road Cycling World Championship despite being favorite due to a mistake at the end of the race.
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Paolo Bettini's disappointments continued with second places in the HEW Cyclassics, which he had won previously, and in the Clasica de San Sebastian, which he had won the previous year.
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Paolo Bettini followed Rebellin throughout the race, resulting in Rebellin's quitting in frustration.
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Paolo Bettini again failed to win the world championship due to an injury when he banged his knee against the team car at the beginning of the race.
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Paolo Bettini won the first race of the season, the Trofeo Soller, which is part of the Challenge Mallorca.
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Paolo Bettini changed his mind and won the Giro di Lombardia in tears.
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Paolo Bettini later won the third stage of the Vuelta a Espana and finished second in three more stages.
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Paolo Bettini won the Trofeo Matteotti and stages at the Tour of Austria and Tour de Wallonie.
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Paolo Bettini won two stages at the Vuelta a Espana, where he said he was leaving Quick Step after 10 years due to a financial dispute.
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On 17 June 2010, Paolo Bettini was named as the new Italian national coach, following the death of Franco Ballerini in a car accident earlier that year.
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Paolo Bettini left this role in 2014 to work with Fernando Alonso on his new cycling team in preparation for its launch in 2015.
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Paolo Bettini followed the path of riders before the 1970s and took up six-day racing in the winter.