Cannondale Pro Cycling
Announces Team
for Giro d’Italia
April 29 – The riders’ list of Cannondale Pro Cycling for the Giro d’Italia is ready. From Saturday, May 4, nine athletes will cover 3.405 km, from Napoli to Brescia, and will ride for 21 days.
Ivan Basso will be the captain of the team and will fight for the general classification. Young gun Elia Viviani will be the man for the sprints. At their side will be five long distance riders Tiziano Dall’Antonia, Paolo Longo Borghini, Alan Marangoni, Fabio Sabatini and Cameron Wurf, as well as two climbers Cristiano Salerno and Josè Sarmiento. Directeurs Sportif Stefano Zanatta and Dario Mariuzzo will lead the riders from the team car, supported by Alberto Volpi.
“The Giro d’Italia is such an important race that the team is motivated at the top,” explained Zanatta. “I think will be a tough race until the last day and Cannondale Pro Cycling will be able to play an important role. Nibali and Wiggins, as well as their teams Astana and Sky, will have the pressure of being favourites. From our side, we need patience and to be ready to exploit all the situations. We know the Giro will be a hard challenge, but we don’t want to assume any results.”
“Basso’s results and preparation were as expected. He focused only on the Giro and we wanted him ready for this race. After two difficult years, this time Ivan followed his program without problems or injuries. He did all he had to do. Now the roads will return the verdict, but not many riders are as tough and determined as Ivan. For Viviani, the 2013 Giro will be his debut and for Cannondale Pro Cycling it’s important that he plays his chances and earns experience. We’re confident in him but he’s not forced to win. Elia is a young guy with a great talent: he will be free to race without pressure,” added Zanatta.
