Paolo Bettini

Paolo Bettini

Bettini in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Paolo Bettini
Nickname	Grillo
Born	(1974-04-01) 1 April 1974 (age 50) Cecina, Italy
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	58 kg (128 lb; 9.1 st)
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Classics specialist Puncheur
Professional teams
1997	MG Maglificio–Technogym
1998	Asics–CGA
1999–2002	Mapei–Quick-Step
2003–2008	Quick-Step–Davitamon
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (2000) Giro d'Italia Points classification (2005, 2006) 2 individual stages (2005, 2006) Vuelta a España 5 individual stages (2005–2008) Stage races Tirreno–Adriatico (2004) One-day races and Classics Olympic Road Race (2004) World Road Race Championships (2006, 2007) National Road Race Championships (2003, 2006) Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2000, 2002) Milan–San Remo (2003) Giro di Lombardia (2005, 2006) Clásica de San Sebastián (2003) HEW Cyclassics (2003) Züri-Metzgete (2001, 2005) Other UCI Road World Cup (2002, 2003, 2004) Vélo d'Or (2006)
Medal record Men's road bicycle racing Representing  Italy Olympic Games 2004 Athens Road race World Championships 2007 Stuttgart Road race 2006 Salzburg Road race 2001 Lisbon Road race

Paolo Bettini (born 1 April 1974 in Cecina, Livorno, Tuscany) is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the former coach of the Italian national cycling team. Considered the best classics specialist of his generation, and probably one of the strongest of all times, he won gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics road race and in the 2006 and 2007 World Road Race Championships. He is nicknamed Il Grillo ("the cricket") for his repeated sudden attacks and his sprinting style.

He gained prominence by winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2000 and 2002. He set the record for World Cup wins in a season in 2003, winning the Milan–San Remo, HEW Cyclassics and Clásica de San Sebastián. He won the Giro di Lombardia in 2005 and 2006, the Züri-Metzgete in 2001 and 2005 and Tirreno–Adriatico in 2004.