Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Liquigas-Cannondale sets its sights on the Giro di Sardegna

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Parent Category: Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Category: News Cycling Pro Road & Mtb 2011

Published on Monday, 21 February 2011 16:56

Written by Luca Salvatelli

Liquigas-Cannondale opts for the big guns as the team gets ready to tackle the Giro di Sardegna, from 22nd to 26th February, and the Classica Sarda Cagliari-Olbia on 27th February.

Vincenzo Nibali, Eros Capecchi, Peter Sagan, Daniel Oss, Jacopo Guarnieri, Valerio Agnoli, Maciej Bodnar and Ted King. Eight riders, under the direction of DS Mario Scirea and Biagio Conte, who are all well suited to the demands of the Sardinian courses. «We’re faced with mixed stages in which we can race as main contenders, » explained Scirea, «Although key riders are competing in the race, we shouldn’t forget that many of them are still settling into the season. Nibali, Agnoli, Capecchi and Guarnieri are back to racing after our Teide training camp, while Oss and Sagan have already shown that they’re in good form. We’ll be racing to win and also to fine-tune our performance for the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Paris-Nice».

Guarnieri is set to be the key man for the sprint finishes with Sagan acting as “sweeper”, but we’ll have to see as the stages progress who out of Nibali and Capecchi will try to provide a repeat performance of Kreuziger’s overall win in 2010.

On his season debut the “Shark of the Strait” is giving nothing away, «I’ve only been training up to now so I’m still lacking my racing tempo. I feel great and can’t wait to get that number on my back. I want a worry-free race in Sardinia, so I’ll see how I feel and go with the flow: we’ll determine what I can achieve on a day-by-day basis. We’ve got a competitive line-up and I’m there for my team-mates if they need me. »

Capecchi is racing fit following the Tour de San Luis, where he only just missed out on a podium place, and determined to hit the main target: «I worked hard and well at Teide. We analysed the tests with Slongo, our trainer: personally I feel great and I’m in excellent form according to the test results. Since I’ve been back in Italy I’ve been working to rest and finishing to find the right pedal stroke. Everything seems just right for a successful race. »