Once he returns to cycling, Alessandro Ballan will be doing so on a wrath of anger after being the only person involved in the Mantova doping case to be given a ban from the sport out of the 28 individuals involved.

“I’m very bitter about that because I was the only person who went before the judge and told the truth, that I underwent a therapy because I was ill, and I was the only one who was banned,” Ballan told Cyclingnews. “Maybe if I’d said nothing and stayed quiet, I’d have been able to keep racing. Unfortunately, I went in good faith, because honestly I didn’t think I committed such a big crime because I was at home, away from racing, withheld by my team [at the time of the blood transfusion - ed.] Sometimes honesty isn’t rewarded.”

While he says he doesn’t think he committed an offence and only made a mistake, he says the Italian Olympic Committee were entitled to give him a suspension.

“I’m not saying that I didn’t deserve a ban because I made a mistake and I’ve paid for it. I mean that there are bans and bans. When I’ve taken part in bike races, I’ve always been correct and I’ve done everything as it should have been done,” Ballan said. “I can say honestly that I have never altered a sporting performance.”

Ballan eventually left Lampre-Merida for BMC in late 2009 and once news of the investigation came to surface, BMC withheld Ballan from lots of races until he was formally banned in January last year. He is also bitter because he has been prevented from racing over the last few seasons by BMC because of the cloud over him, and he says dopes don’t serve that long a punishment before they return.

“In the end, compared to someone who tests positive and is back in the peloton after a year and a half, I spent three and a half years in purgatory, we can call it that, and then I paid with another year and a half of a ban. It was all a bit excessive,” Ballan said. “I honestly believe that I can allow myself to say that now, because I accepted the ban, I sat at home and I never caused any polemic. Now I just want to come back and race and show my value.”

The 36-year-old Italian can’t sign for MPCC teams but says he has a number of Pro Continental team in contact with him. He can wait till later in the year to sign a deal but if no deal arrives, eh says he may be forced to retire.

“I can wait until November or December but if I don’t find someone by then, logically I’d have to start thinking about devoting myself to something else,” Ballan said.

“But my idea is to come back and make the whole cycling world understand. Cycling is a sport that has suffered a lot of pressure from doping cases but in my opinion you need to distinguish between someone who has tested positive and someone who has made a mistake like I did.”