A painful farewell to the man who will forever be linked to that one crash of Denis Menchov

May 31, 2009 — a date etched in the memories of many cycling fans, especially those from the Netherlands. That year’s Giro d’Italia concluded in pouring rain with a time trial in Rome, but the day nearly ended in disaster for the Dutch Rabobank team. Who won that day? A relatively unknown Lithuanian rider who, in 2024, decided to hang up his bike for good.

Ignatas Konovalovas was born on December 8, 1985, in Panevėžys, Lithuania. While Lithuania isn’t traditionally a cycling powerhouse, things are a little different if you're from Panevėžys. After all, this place is home to a large velodrome, which hosted the inaugural edition of the UCI Track Champions League back in 2021.

Lithuanian cycling experienced a surge in the early 2000s, thanks to Raimondas Rumsas, who emerged from the sub-top, bursted his way into the top category, resulting in a victory in the Tour of Lombardy and fifth place in the Vuelta a España in 2000. In 2001, he added a victory in the Tour of the Basque Country and a second-place finish in Paris-Nice to his resume. By 2002, Rumsas reached the podium of the Tour de France with a third-place finish.

Konovalovas takes over for the fallen Rumsas

The day after the 2002 Tour, Rumsas’ career came crashing down. His wife was caught at the border with a car full of doping products, but the Rumsas camp denied everything and there was no solid evidence against him. As a result, he was allowed to return to Lampre, but in 2003 he did test positive for EPO after the Giro. Finally, Rumsas would record his last victory in 2006, a few months before Konovalovas broke through with a victory in the Tour of the Isard.

In 2007, the Lithuanian performed well in the Tour de l’Avenir, earning him a contract with the French pro team Crédit Agricole. He had a strong season, including a win at the Tour of Luxembourg, but when the team folded, he had to look for a new contract. He ended up joining Cervélo TestTeam, which had brought in Thor Hushovd and Carlos Sastre, the reigning Tour de France champion.

Alongside Sastre, Konovalovas participated in the Giro as a domestique on flat stages. It was his first grand tour, and he had the defending Tour de France winner by his side. That year, the Tour of Italy was stacked with big names, including the return of Lance Armstrong and former winners Ivan Basso, Damiano Cunego, Danilo Di Luca, Gilberto Simoni, Stefano Garzelli, and Rabobank rider Denis Menchov.

It was a thrilling Giro, one of the most exciting of the decade. Menchov stunned his competitors with a powerful attack on the climb up to Alpe di Siusi, then secured the pink jersey after a phenomenal win in the 60-kilometer (!) mountain time trial on stage 12. This sparked an intense battle with Di Luca, while Cervélo leader Sastre lingered close behind. This resulted in the infamous saga with Serge Pauwels, who was called back while in a winning position during stage 14... ultimately to no avail. A few days later, Sastre claimed a victory on Monte Petrano and, three days before the end, won again on Mount Vesuvius.

Konovalovas emerges victorious after chaotic final time trial

In the battle for the pink jersey, Menchov and Di Luca kept a close eye on each other, heading into the final time trial in Rome with just a 20-second gap. The ultimate showdown was to take place in Rome, deciding the GC battle. Meanwhile, top time trialists like Bradley Wiggins, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Michael Rogers, and Levi Leipheimer were expected to contest the stage win—or so it seemed.

The rain turned the time trial into a lottery, with weather conditions playing a crucial role. Konovalovas, an unknown rider at the time, started in the middle of the field and unexpectedly found himself in ideal conditions. Despite being exhausted after his first grand tour, he managed to stay ahead of riders like Wiggins in the virtual standings. At that point, all eyes turned to Menchov. Starting last, the Russian had to concede five seconds to Di Luca at the first checkpoint but soon began to pick up the pace.

He was already virtually guaranteed the overall victory, but Menchov also seemed intent on taking the stage win. Despite the rain and slippery cobblestones, he rode aggressively through the streets of Rome — until he suddenly crashed hard in the final kilometer. The sight of Menchov hitting the wet cobblestones sent shockwaves through cycling fans worldwide, but particularly in the Netherlands (after all, he was racing in the Rabobank jersey) and Russia. Meanwhile, Konovalovas must have quietly celebrated as he watched Menchov remount, finish in 10th place, and secure the overall win. For Konovalovas, the stage victory was an unbelievable surprise and remains the biggest win of his career.

With that victory, Konovalovas proved he deserved his spot in the peloton. However, after stints with Movistar and MTN-Qhubeka, he eventually dropped to Continental level. It wasn’t until Groupama-FDJ and particularly Arnaud Démare gave him another chance that he returned to the top level. Even in recent years, Konovalovas remained a valued domestique, contributing to the French team’s success in races like the Giro.

However, in 2024, despite being under contract, he didn’t race anymore. He recently explained why. "When I arrived in Australia for the Tour Down Under, it was superb! It was warm, we enjoyed the sun, we ate ice cream while it was winter in Europe," the time trial specialist recalled on the team’s website. "However, after our first ride, I noticed that something was wrong with my back. I had two lumbar hernias during my career, so I knew what to do. I did exercises, stretching, it relieved me, so I went for another ride the next day, but after two and a half hours, I realized that I could no longer pedal. From the second day, all my plans fell apart."

"I couldn’t even leave the hotel because I was in so much pain. I couldn’t stand for very long. I tried to walk to keep myself in movement, hoping that it would help, but I couldn’t stay on my feet for more than 15-20 minutes," Konovalovas recalls. "Sometimes I didn’t have enough strength in my legs because of how intense the pain was. Even lying down, I was in pain, and it was like that 24 hours a day. It was very, very hard, even though the injection was supposed to relieve me. It was the hardest time of my career, but at that point, I wasn’t even thinking about my career. I was just thinking about being able to walk, being able to hold my children, having a normal life."

"On the one hand, I felt kind of relieved. On the other hand, I was still a little sad. I only have one regret in my career: to not have been able to finish this last season, especially with this team. Groupama-FDJ gave me a lot, we gave each other a lot. It will forever remain in my heart and mind as my cycling family. I would have loved to have been able to go out through the front door," he said of the door he first entered in 2008.

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