The additional wild card granted to the organizers of the three Grand Tours has allowed RCS Sport to invite two of the three Italian professional cyclists to the Giro d'Italia: Vf Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè and Polti VisitMalta. We talked about the latter, focusing on the Giro di PiganzoliFor Bruno and Roberto Reverberi's team, however, the discussion is a little broader.
With Pellizzari's departure and Pozzovivo's farewell to cycling, the chances of making the overall rankings have faded. The attention of Reverberi's eight squires will be on the individual stages and the possibilities of escape. The Tour of the Alps, run without too many bells and whistles but in a fairly solid way, it was a preview of what we will see starting from from Albania.
Right attitude
In the mountains of Trentino, Roberto Reverberi resolved the last doubts about the lineup, deciding who will complete the Vf Group-Bardiani squad.
«We were coming out of the five days of competition of Tour of the Alps – says Roberto Reverberi as he makes his way through his many commitments – where there was only one doubt about who to bring. In the end we chose for Alessio Martinelli, not so much because he is worth more or less than the others, but for the attitude he can have in the race. He is capable of moving and choosing the right momentIn a race like the Giro, this kind of thinking is needed: breaking away. Clearly, it should be done whenever possible, and not on stages where we know we won't have any room. We've seen that if we wait for the finale, the best will take us out.. And between a twentieth place and a good breakaway, the second option is much better."
Pinarello's debut
After Giulio Pellizzari's debut last year, Alessandro Pinarello's turn has come in this edition of the Corsa Rosa. The other boy who, together with the Marche native, started the youth project of the Vf Group-BardianiIn his fourth year with the Italian professional, the time has come for him to face the three-week competition.
«Up until the Coppi e Bartali – explains Roberto Reverberi – he raced consistently, then we decided to stop him and give him a break. Al Tour of the Alps it didn't go as expected, but he improved day by day and had the courage to move and try. For Pinarello, we've designed a calendar entirely with professionals, and this step is part of the growth. Taking part in a Grand Tour, as Pellizzari did last year, changes your engine. Pinarello is one of the youngsters called to make the leap in quality, also because in the team there are no longer the "old"like Zoccarato or Tonelli."
Fiorelli's inspiration
The experienced man for Vf Group-Bardiani will be Filippo Fiorelli, the Sicilian comes from a Tour of Abruzzo run solidly with a fifth place finish and the points classification jerseyOnce back home he packed his bags to head up to Mount Etna for the Giro.
"Fiorelli will be our man for the sprints," concludes Roberto Reverberi, "but since he's not a pure sprinter, we know he can also do well in the mixed stages. The Giro d'Abruzzo gave us the answers we expected from a rider like himIn all of this, we mustn't forget Enrico Zanoncello; he's also someone who can stay among the frontriders when the going gets rough. Overall, our goal at the Giro will be to win a stage; we want to honor the race and the invitation we received from RCS. Over the years our boys have made themselves seen and made people talk about them and this is our goal.».
