Davide Rebellin made another comeback at age 50, starting the Giro dell'Appennino in Pasturana, eight months after breaking his leg twice in a crash at the Marco Pantani Memorial last September 2021.

Rebellin finished in the top 20 of the 191.7 km, 1.1 place race, finishing 19th, 4:46 behind winner Louis Maintus (Intermarché Wantigover).

The Italian took to his Instagram to announce his return for his 30th professional season with the Work Service Marchiol Vega Continental team and wrote about his lengthy rehabilitation.

"Finally tomorrow I will resume competition at the Giro dell'Appennino. It has been a long rehabilitation period since I injured my tibia and fibula last September 18," Rebellin wrote.

"But my desire was always to return, to put the number on my back and relive that special feeling of adrenaline, fun and passion mixed together. I don't know yet how long or how many races I will fight for, but the important thing is to start again and always believe in my dream."

Rebellin was a star of the EPO craze of the 1990s and 2000s, winning the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2004 and sweeping the Ardennes. He also won titles in Paris-Nice (2008) and Tirreno-Adriatico (2001).

In 2008, however, while with Gerolsteiner, Rebellin tested positive for the blood-enhancing drug CERA and was stripped of his silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

He repeatedly pleaded innocent and refused to plead guilty. After losing an appeal and receiving a two-year ban, Rebellin was unable to gain the trust of a major team, but nevertheless returned to racing for another 13 seasons with a lower-level team.

The last six seasons were at the continental level, competing in competitions as far away as Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Rebellin intended to retire in 2019, but changed his mind when he was invited to join a new Hungarian professional team with ambitions to compete in the Giro d'Italia, which starts in Budapest.

The plan involved E-Powers, an e-bike brand founded by István Vargas, who had developed a hidden motor and magnetic wheels that were rumored to be used in major professional races. The "mechanical doping" rumors forced the UCI to introduce special tests in all major races, which are still ongoing.

The E-Powers factory team project collapsed before it got off the ground, leaving 50 riders and staff to find jobs. Rebellin signed with the Cambodian Cycling Academy, but ended up with Meridiana Kamen. He then signed with Work Service Marchiol Vega, which renewed his contract in 2021 in an attempt to have one last season before retiring at the end of 2022.