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FEATURES: BEING THERE: TEAM LIQUIGAS PRESENTS IN MILAN
Tim Maloney
January 14, 2012
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(L-R) Eros Capecchi, Damiano Caruso and Daniel Oss ready to rock in 2012 for Liquigas-Cannondale. Photo: Roberto Bettini /Bettiniphoto.Net
On a sparkling winter day in the heart of Milano, Team Liquigas-Cannondale 2012 was presented at the showroom of their new car sponsor Citroën Italia.
Although they are not ranked as Italy's #1 ProTour team (that status goes to Lampre), Liquigas-Cannondale is generally considered the top squad in Italia, with 26 riders, 9 foreign and 17 Italian including 5 new riders. 34 year old Ivan Basso, a two-time Giro d'Italia winner and 27 year old Sicilian Vincenzo Nibali, the promise of Italian cycling lead the Liquigas-Cannondale squad for 2012. Young Slovak sensation Peter Sagan will make his Tour de France debut in July, then focus on the Olympic Games road race. Emerging young sprinter Elia Viviani, with eight wins in 2011 will go for the Olympic Games track omnium, while another young Italian, Daniel Oss, will look to make his mark in the Northern Classics. Other Liquigas-Cannondale ridere to watch in 2012 are Eros Capecchi, Simone Ponzi and neo-pro Moreno Moser, Francesco's nephew.
Team manager Roberto Amadio, Vincenzo Nibali, Ivan Basso, Liquigas President Paolo Dal Lago (L-R). Photo: Roberto Bettini /Bettiniphoto.Net
Basso said during Liquigas’s team presentation “I will return to the the Giro this season. That’s my primary objective for the first part of the season. My program this season is a lot like the one I rode in 2009 and 2010,” said Basso.
Nibali: explained "I have not yet decided if I will ride the Giro d'Italia this season. I will decide after Liege. The Tour de France is the only sure thing for me. 2012 will be an important year for me, and I’ll be looking to win races, because in 2011 I didn’t win any and I want to start winning again.”
Liquigas-Cannondale team manager Roberto Amadio said “We’ve looked at the routes of all three the grand tours and it’s clear that the Giro is better suited to Ivan while the Tour, with 100km of time trialling, is better for Vincenzo. It’s also clear we also have to listen to our riders’ wishes and Vincenzo has told us that he may want to ride the Giro d’Italia. After the Classics we will
evaluate his condition and take the final decision.”
As for Peter Sagan, Amadio explained “With Peter we’ve decided that he still needs to develop steadily, but this development will also see him take on a big stage race in 2012, the Tour de France,” Amadio said. "He will also focus on the spring classics, Olympic Games and world championships."
Team Liquigas-Cannondale 2012
Photo: Roberto Bettini /Bettiniphoto.Net
Valerio AGNOLI (ITA)
Stefano AGOSTINI (ITA)
Ivan BASSO (ITA)
Maciej BODNAR (POL)
Federico CANUTI (ITA)
Eros CAPECCHI (ITA)
Damiano CARUSO (ITA)
Mauro DA DALTO (ITA)
Tiziano DALL'ANTONIA (ITA)
Timothy DUGGAN Timothy (USA)
Edward KING (USA)
Kristijan KOREN (SLO)
Paolo LONGO BORGHINI (ITA)
Alan MARANGONI (ITA)
Dominik NERZ (GER)
Vincenzo NIBALI Vincenzo (ITA)
Daniel OSS (ITA)
Maciej PATERSKI (ITA)
Daniele RATTO (ITA)
FabioSABATINI (ITA)
Peter SAGAN (SVK)
Juraj SAGAN (SVK)
Cristiano SALERNO (ITA)
José SARMIENTO (COL)
SZMYD Sylvester (POL)
Alessandro VANOTTI (ITA)
Elia VIVIANI Elia (ITA)
Moreno MOSER (ITA)
AND NOW FOR THE OFFICIAL VERSION.....
Continuity is the keyword as Liquigas-Cannondale starts its eighth season. With the captains and line-up confirmed and the squad strengthened by the addition of five new men, the green-blue team has decided to focus on the most important appointments on the racing calendar to consolidate its position among cycling’s elite. Whether it’s classics or grand tours, Liquigas-Cannondale has definitely got what it takes to excel in any race.
"We’ve been pursuing increasingly more ambitious goals since 2005," said Paolo Dal Lago, the president of Liquigas Spa and Liquigas Sport, "We’ve achieved important and prestigious results that have earned the team a respectable place in cycling: now the next step is to prove ourselves and keep improving with the professionalism and style that people have always associated with our colours. I’m convinced that 2012 has many moments of great satisfaction in store for us and these will ensure that the names of Liquigas and Cannondale will continue to enjoy success around the world."
The determination of the Liquigas-Cannondale management is also reflected in the competitive choices made by the team managers. "We know we’ve got everything in place to aim high and feel very ambitious as we face all our challenges. We’ve got outstanding riders and the right men to support them over any terrain: all the ingredients are there for a new season at the top," said Roberto Amadio, the team manager.
Liquigas-Cannondale’s 2012 season starts in a few days’ time in Australia with Ivan Basso, Vincenzo Nibali and Peter Sagan as the team’s captains. The Italians will chase the dream of winning another big stage race while the Slovak will focus on further improving his performance, particularly for the classics. Sagan’s mission also applies to the team’s other key riders Eros Capecchi, Daniel Oss and Elia Viviani, who will be aiming to raise the bar as well: their main goal is to confirm the immense potential shown so far. To tackle the wide range of challenges posed this season, these six pivotal riders will be joined by another twenty-two men, including new entries Stefano Agostini, Federico Canuti, Moreno Moser, Daniele Ratto and Josè Sarmiento.
For the 2012 race season, Liquigas-Cannondale will have a full complement of race-ready bicycles at their disposal. For most races, the team’s bike of choice will be the SuperSix EVO, which blends silky-smooth compliance with the world’s best stiffness-to-weight ratio for a bike that is the perfect expression of efficiency and performance. For time trials, the team will be aboard the newly developed Slice RS aero super-bike; while for rougher races like the Spring Classics - where comfort is at a premium - they will ride the updated Synapse Hi-MOD with its vibration-eliminating SAVE PLUS features. Whatever the race, whatever the terrain, Liquigas-Cannondale will be equipped to win.
For more info: Team Liquigas.
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