Next season will mark the 10-year anniversary of the 2006 Giro d'Italia which Ivan Basso dominated in his last major victory before he received his sanction for his involvement in the Operacin Puerto. Jose Ivan Gutierrez was second and Gilberto Simoni was third and the race led to a major feud between the two Italians.

After Basso’s exhibition in the Aprica stage which also included the Mortirolo, Simoni made accusations that the CSC rider had offered him money in exchange for work and that Basso had not respected the deal. "If we had arrived together, I would have been given the stage and he would have won the GC. We talked about things and we agreed. I waited for him on the descent and then 5 kilometers from the finish he left me behind," the Saunier Duval climber lamented.

The controversy was started and included discussions at the starts of stages later in the race. "We spoke about not dropping me on the descent and stay together in the valley because together we would be stronger, yes, but he should not say things that are not true," Basso said. Simoni responded angrily: "Do you want me to also tell the amount?"

Finally, the Italian Federation ruled against Simon who had to pay a fine for frivolous claims arranged five talks in schools where he had to talk about cycling. He refused but since then he has kept a low profile on the matter.

However, La Gazzetta dello Sport now reports that the pair have ended the war. According to Simoni, Basso who recently retired after spending his last years with Alberto Contador and has overcome a testicular tumor, approached him. "There were a few words to close an ugly page from the past," he tells the Italian sports daily about the cold war between two icons of Italian cycling.