Italians who need to win: Ballan, Bennati, Cunego & Pozzato

Damiano Cunego, Vuelta a Espana 2009, stage 14

Italy's last win in one of the major international classics came nearly two years ago. And even further back if you do not count the win of Davide Rebellin at the 2009 Flèche Wallonne (remember, he tested positive at the 2008 Olympics and really should not have been racing).

Damiano Cunego won the Tour of Lombardy in the fall of 2008, one of cycling's five monumental classics. Alessandro Ballan won another monument, the Tour of Flanders, in 2007. Both, however, passed 2010 without wins.

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Gregor Brown

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.