Here’s some word from Ivan Basso (well, his lawyer, anyway) about his admission of guilt:

“He did what he did because he loves his sport,” said Massimo Martelli. “We looked each other in the eyes and agreed it would be better to relieve this heavy burden from his shoulders.”

Another story quotes the lawyer as also saying, “During the interrogation he was shaking, but then he regained his composure to show great character.”

I’ve not been shy about how much I’ve adored Ivan, and I’m still quite surprised at how well the Italian cycling community seems to be taking all of this. The reaction just seems to be really positive overall - that it took great courage to do what he did. Davide Rebellin is among those lending their verbal support, but he’s not alone. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because how much courage did it take to deny any involvement for nearly a year? This honeymoon can’t last, can it?

(Oh, and if your Italian skills are better than mine, you can read the article that everyone’s quoting and translating here from La Gazzetta dello Sport. At the moment, there’s also a video news piece about Basso on the right hand side, too. He’s smiling, but the pessimist in me wonders, “For how long?”)

Photo from Annibale