Two of the WorldTour’s ‘super teams’ have unveiled their line ups for the 2012 Giro d’Italia, which starts in Herning, Denmark on Saturday (5).
Omega Pharma-QuickStep, the dominant force in the spring Classics, and RadioShack-Nissan-Trek, have both declared their squads for the first of the season’s Grand Tours.
Fränk Schleck will lead RadioShack-Nissan-Trek, replacing Jakob Fuglsang, who has been sidelined with a knee injury.
Schleck said: “My season was directed at peaking in the Tourbut, when you think about it, this situation creates opportunities.
“For sure, I will come to the start with a different preparation than the other GC riders, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. My condition is not so bad and it can only grow the coming weeks.
“The Tour of Italy is one of the big monuments of cycling as well, so it is at least a big challenge for me.”
Team manager, Johan Bruyneel, described the elder Schleck brother as “a born leader.”
“Moreover – though bad luck and circumstances did not provide the right results – he has shown in the last few weeks that his condition has already reached a high level. I am confident he can surprise us in the coming weeks.
“It all reminds me of the 2008 Tour of Italy when, one week before the start, we got an invitation for the race. In the end we won the overall,” he said, referring to Alberto Contador’s victory for Astana.
RSNT will also be without Fabian Cancellara, who is still recovering from a collarbone fractured in four places in a crash in the Tour of Flanders in March.
Schleck’s squad will include the sprinter, Daniele Bennati, young American time trialist, Jesse Sargent, ad Jan Bakelants, Ben Hermans, Giacomo Nizzolo, Nelson Oliveira, Thomas Rohregger, and Oliver Zaugg.
The Belgian squad, Omega Pharma-QuickStep, ranked number one by the UCI after a hugely successful spring Classics campaign, will field a low-key squad after injuries to its three team leaders.
Levi Leipheimer is still recovering from a broken leg suffered when being hit by a car the day before the Tour of the Basque Country in March, while world time trial champion, Tony Martin, another member of the squad hit by a car while training, only returned to racing yesterday at the Eschborn-Frankfurt.
Tom Boonen, who missed the Ardennes Classics to recover from a minor foot injury during a hugely successful cobbled Classics campaign, is likely to race the Tour de France instead.
Serge Pauwels and Dario Cataldo will spearhead the team’s bid for success in the mountains and for overall victory, supported on the climbs by Marco Bandiera, Michal Golas, Nikolas Maes and Martin Velits.
Francesco Chicchi, winner of the Nokere Koerse semi-Classic in March, will lead the team in bunch sprints, while Michal Kwiatkowski and Julien Vermote will ride their first Giris.
Directeur sportif, Davide Bramati, said: “We’ll be at the start with a young, motivated formation that can stand out on any type of terrain.”
