Pirelli - Alfa Romeo 2012
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CountArach |
Posted on 29-06-2011 14:58
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It's true that Bpost came with a offer, but I didn't feel they wanted me so much as Pirelli - Alfa Romeo
Based on some of the words I said after I realised I couldn't afford him, I wouldn't be so sure
Nice signing though, I will grit my teeth as he accelerates ahead of me up the climbs.
Edited by CountArach on 29-06-2011 14:59
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rycadinho |
Posted on 29-06-2011 15:00
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Well if we look at a economical aspect on the bidding war, though I know you wanted him on your team!
Yeah, I really expect him to perform well even if the competition will be extremely tough.
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rycadinho |
Posted on 30-06-2011 19:43
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Transfer update from Pirelli - Alfa Romeo IV
We have still room for improvement in the team after Zakayo Ndbri left us and instead will be on Rapha - Condor on a permanent basis. Ndbri will be missed though he had a wish to join one of the few teams out there with a big focus on African riders.
Zakayo together with his good friend Samwel standing on their favourite terrain... mountains!
Another protagonist of last season has also been sold and Alberto Loddo will now look for victories under the colours of Volkswagen-Siemens. Alberto is a man with a great personality and like Ndbri will he also be missed though we believe that Di Nucci and Bazajev are strong enough to lead us in the sprints.
Now former Pirelli - Alfa Romeo rider Alberto Loddo, sprinting for yet another stage win.
This means that we aren't yet done with our transfer season, though we are getting closer and closer to that very moment when the roster is finally complete.
Edited by rycadinho on 05-07-2011 21:03
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rycadinho |
Posted on 05-07-2011 11:51
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Transfer update from Pirelli - Alfa Romeo V
Finally! Our transfer season is over since we have brought in our last rider and he is yet another loanie from Wikipedia. Andzs Flaksis is here to learn and we are sure that he will like the way this team is operating both on and off the bike.
A update on the page will soon occur with information about the riders on the team, what races the team will participate in and even a few words on what can be expected from Pirelli - Alfa Romeo during the pre-season training.
Edited by rycadinho on 05-07-2011 21:02
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rycadinho |
Posted on 05-07-2011 20:58
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Pirelli - Alfa Romeo Rider Presentation 2012: The Captains
Name: Jurgen Van Den Broeck
Wage: 600.000 Euros
Goal: Expect him to be up with the very best in most of the biggest stage races throughout the year.
Our new Belgian stage racer will be send on a very intense training camp soon and he will without any doubt meet up stronger than he was last year at Benfica. Jurgen masters all the abilities that makes a good stage racer, and especially his good timetrial will be an important weapon against pure climbers like Alarcon, Rujano and Pelizotti just to name a few.
Name: Nicolas Roche
Wage: 495.000 Euros
Goal: Our man for the classics where we hope he will shine together with a couple of stage races.
Nicolas Roche is a very important pierce in the puzzle that will hopefully give the team a stronger season compared to last year. We suddenly have a man who is capable to perform very well in classics with a more hilly approach, something that cost us a lot of points last year. He will also get the chance to participate in a couple of stage races and with his good all round abilities will he be able to give some of the best stage racers a good fight.
Name: Carlos Castaño
Wage: 250.000 Euros
Goal: Will be our leader in most of the C1 stage races during the season, though he will also get the chance to shine in Vuelta a Burgos.
We didn't hessitate when Festina - Conac offered the services of Castaño and even money for our ageing star José Serpa. We believe that while Carlos isn't near as strong in the mountains then is he better on other important areas like the hills and more importantly the timetrials. This should make him be one of the most interesting figures this year, since only a few are stronger than Carlos in the division.
Name: Assan Bazayev
Wage: 80.000 Euros
Goal: He will be our man for the flat stages and he will also try to get us a result in some of the Italian classics that suits him best.
This experienced rider is in my eyes strong enough to replace Alberto Loddo and even better is he actually quite decent on more hilly terrain compared to the old Italian. Assan will have a completely free role this year and we will also make sure that he will get the necessary assistance that he requires for the sprints.
Edited by rycadinho on 06-07-2011 18:40
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dave92 |
Posted on 05-07-2011 21:37
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You seem to have assembled quite the set of leaders. The depth of having 3 bona fide leaders should pay off well for you in the CT tour.
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Posted on 22-12-2024 05:43
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rycadinho |
Posted on 05-07-2011 21:44
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dave92 wrote:
You seem to have assembled quite the set of leaders. The depth of having 3 bona fide leaders should pay off well for you in the CT tour.
Yes, though I'm not sure if it will be enough to complete my top 10 goal since I see a lot of teams who can achieve that this year.
I hope some of the wages of the captains will perhaps be a little lower next season so I can really go for promotion.
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rycadinho |
Posted on 06-07-2011 18:40
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Pirelli - Alfa Romeo Rider Presentation 2012: The Lieutenants
Name: Andres Saldarriaga
Wage: 60,000 Euros
Goal: To stay with our captains until they are forced to make their moves on the final climbs.
We were very pleased to secure this Colombian climber for a relative low fee, and we expect a lot from him this year. It's perfect that Jurgen and Andres has already been riding together under Benfica and the good bond they share with each other can prove extremely valuable. After the sale of Ndbri is it up to Andres to be up there and he has what it takes.
Name: Fredy Montaña
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Goal: Like his compatriot Saldarriaga, it's Fredy's job to stay with our captains and provide the best possible assistance for them.
Another Colombian who despite not being able to help one of their homelands biggest profiles José Serpa to glory, has expressed his delight to be part of Pirelli - Alfa Romeo. He and Fredy are our best helpers in the mountain, and even though they will share a big responsible then I'm sure they can live up to that.
Name: Egoitz Murgoitio
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Goal: Provide enough assistance for especially Castaño both on the flat and in more mountainous terrain.
This Spanish rider was not on the cards until we struck the deal with another Spaniard Carlos Castaño. Egoitz is a friend of the former but that doesn't mean that it's the only reason we accepted Carlos request to sign him. He is a good climber and will be a important member of the team this season.
Name: Daniele Di Nucci
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Goal: Will be Bazavey's leadout man in certain races but will also have a free role in certain Italian races.
We were for long interested to sign another sprinter and while a guy like Rizza decided to decline or offer then Daniele felt we were the best team for him. With Loddo leaving will Daniele see more freedom and therefore also a bigger responsibility. He lacks a bit in his acceleration but he has a very good top speed and is a fine bet for some good results during the year.
Edited by rycadinho on 06-07-2011 19:29
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rycadinho |
Posted on 06-07-2011 19:02
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Pirelli - Alfa Romeo Rider Presentation 2012: The Italian Domestiques
Name: Diego Caccia
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: He will be a valuable rider since he is a decent timetrialer, a type of rider we lack.
Name: Giampaolo Cheula
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: Cheula will be looking to help Roche in the classics and also give it a go in certain stage races.
Name: Nicola D'Andrea
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: One for the mountains and he will have a good chance to participate in some of his homelands biggest races in the Continentaltour.
Name: Sergio Lagana'
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: Experienced Italian climber who will also have to work hard on more flat terrain, something he is capable of.
Name: Simone Masciarelli
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: Strong on the flat and not that bad on the hills. Expect him to be part of the sprinting team that Pirelli - Alfa Romeo will hopefully produce throughout the season.
Name: Francesco Tizza
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: Decent climber who will have to work hard for his Captains and we are sure he will provide us with another fine season.
Name: Stefano Boggia
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: New on the team and will be a important helper for Bazavey and Di Nucci in the sprints.
Edited by rycadinho on 06-07-2011 19:03
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Heine |
Posted on 06-07-2011 19:14
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A few of the pics don't work, you forgot the img tags ;-)
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rycadinho |
Posted on 06-07-2011 19:19
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Heine wrote:
A few of the pics don't work, you forgot the img tags ;-)
Nah for some weird reason didn't they work even though I had the img tags! It should work now though.
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rjc_43 |
Posted on 06-07-2011 19:20
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dewieler doesn't work for IMG tags.
[url=cleavercycling.co.uk] [/url]
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Heine |
Posted on 06-07-2011 19:22
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That's strange
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rycadinho |
Posted on 06-07-2011 19:28
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Pirelli - Alfa Romeo Rider Presentation 2012: The Rest Of The Package
Name: Hubert Dupont
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: Strong French climber who will be one of the few to set the pace on the final important climbs on different mountain stages.
Name: Ivan Santaromita
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: Swiss climber who ended staying where he was from the beginning of the transfer market - to the delight of the team.
Name: Matthew Busche
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: On loan from Wikipedia and will be a valuable asset for Roche in his search for glory in the classics.
Name: Nick Kinney
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: On loan from Wikipedia and will be here to gain more experience and to provide assistance for Roche in the classics.
Name: Andzs Flaksis
Wage: 50,000 Euros
Role: On loan from Wikipedia and his main objective is to get his development started.
Name: Fabio Aru
Wage: 60,000 Euros
Role: Is loaned out to Venchi to get some experience elsewhere.
Name: Salvatore Puccio
Wage: 20,000 Euros
Role: Is loaned out to UniCredit to get some experience elsewhere.
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rycadinho |
Posted on 06-07-2011 19:29
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All right everything is up now and that picture thing was a pain in the ass! So many good pics was from that place but too bad they couldn't be used.
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rycadinho |
Posted on 29-07-2011 17:04
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Pirelli - Alfa Romeo now on twitter - Season has begun!
Follow the team on twitter, on and off the race -> https://twitter.com/#!/Pirelli_MG
We will release all kind of stuff to our supporters, with both pre-race statements from our riders and of course after the races. There will also in certain races be updates during races too. Twitter is a useful tool to let the fans come closer to the team and we can't wait to get startet.
Pirelli - Alfa Romeo has also begun the season in Venezuela, where Carlos Castaño and his team mates has begun the 12 day long stage race Vuelta al Tachira strongly by finishing third in the opening team timetrial. A full report of the race will come after the race has taken place, but in the meantime follow us on Twitter for updates during the exiting race.
Edited by rycadinho on 29-07-2011 17:05
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rycadinho |
Posted on 05-08-2011 14:19
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January - Castaño takes third in Venezuela
Pirelli - Alfa Romeo enjoyed a solid start to the season after Carlos Castaño, former Festina rider, managed to end on the podium in the 12 stage long Vuelta a Tachira.
The team had one target and that was to send Castaño on the podium - something they managed despite a few setbacks during the spectacular race. No one could really respond to the fantastic Alarcon from the new continental team Aker, though no one including myself had never expected former Red Bull rider Rodas, now CSC - Orbea - giving Alarcon one heck of a battle for the overall victory.
The team surprised many by taking third on the first stage, a TTT, but unable to close down a breakaway including Rodas meant that the slim chances to even win the race was surely gone. Alarcon was really the only man who could catch up with the Colombian, thanks to his climbing abilities and that's what he did after a fierce battle all the way to the final stage of the race. Carlos was therefore focusing completely on finishing third, something he managed despite being pushed all the way by young Ratiy.
The team starting the season of in a team time trial - very fitting really
The team had some ups and downs, though especially Andres Saldarriaga was fairly disappointing for not being able to protect his captain enough in the first couple of mountain stages. Thankfully did he and the rest of the lads perform amiable on the tough stage 11 and Castaño clearly seemed to be near his best by leaving all the GC - Contenders behind, except for Alarcon.
Captain Castaño on his way to secure a spot on the podium in Tachira
January was a month with only one race for us, though an important one in Tachira. Next up on the calender is Tour de San Luis where Van den Broeck will hopefully be in a good enough shape to challenge for the overall win, I can only say that he has shown promising signs during pre season. In Vuelta a Mallorca will we see Nicolas Roche start of his season while he and the team will also look for a strong result in GP di Lugano, the final race for us in the coming month. We will for San Luis and Mallorca solely focus on the GC since our sprinters will not participate in any of these races. It's of course not unlikely to see any of our lads in the breakaways though Van den Broeck and Roche will have all our focus with the likes of Saldarriaga, Montaña, Dupont, Kinney and Busche will not see much freedom in the coming weeks.
Edited by rycadinho on 05-08-2011 14:21
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rycadinho |
Posted on 06-09-2011 14:05
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February - Pirelli - Alfa Romeo bounce back in Lugano after cursing their luck in San Luis and Mallorca
We had quite high expectations for the races we were going to participate in during February though it didn't exactly end as we had hoped nor predicted.
First up was the début for our Belgian stage racer Jurgen Van Den Broeck in the tough Tour de San Luis. Even though there was plenty of big names in the peloton like Valverde, Pozzovivo and many others, then we believed that Van Den Broeck could with some luck run away with the overall victory. The second stage of the race had a short though quite steep climb at the end and disaster struck our Captain, since he was blocked on the way up and he lost over an minute to all the other favourites!
All of the Pirelli riders had dropped back to help their troubled captain but for no need
It was a huge blow but Van Den Broeck clawed his way back to the top of the general classification and ended on a respectable fourth place considered the loss he suffered on stage 2. He was even close to win the final mountain stage of the race but overall winner Alejandro Valverde passed him on the final meters much to the disappointment for us.
After San Luis were we hoping that luck would finally shine on us and Nicolas Roche would lead us in the Spanish race Vuelta a Mallorca were many great riders and once again Valverde, were part of this. It started just like San Luis terrible since Roche on one of the first stages for completely unknown reasons lost the sight of the favourites before trying to get himself back to them again. The damage had happened and the last chance for a good overall result in February. Thankfully was our Irish all-rounder so upset with the turn of events that he rode the final stages with such attacking minded riding and that eventually turned out to this!
After losing every sight of the overall victory did Roche win the following stage ahead of later winner of the race, Sammy Sanchez
It was a beautiful victory for both Roche and the team and it gave us some much needed confidence for the last race in February, GP Lugano. The race has a very hard parcour though it on paper should suit Roche and well it defiantly did! Even though he and the rest of the favourites couldn't do anything about Flugel then Roche managed to held of the others in the sprint for second.
Ivan Santaromita was part of the early breakaway though our second best man on the day was Matthew Busche as 31th.
We can defiantly feel the consequences for our very unstably form in the last couple of races but the result in Lugano should move us inside the overall top 15 and with many important races to come is the target for March to get inside the best 10 teams.
We will race one classic in Strade Bianche were we will hope to show our Italian fans that the team can do without an strong national rider while we in Tour de Langkawi will hopefully see Carlos Castaño perform well enough to end inside the top 3. Another interesting thing to happen is that our sprinter Bazajev will participate in both Langkawi and Tour of Taiwan, were stage wins will be our main target in the latter race. Van Den Broeck will hopefully bounce back from San Luis and do well enough to complete two goals, top 5 in Corsica International and Giro del Trentino! If he manages to do this then the sponsors would already be quite pleased with us regardless of our position in the rankings.
It will be a month of action and drama and we hope to finally take our first big race win, something the team has been quite closed to but never managed to accomplish yet.
Edited by rycadinho on 06-09-2011 14:06
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rycadinho |
Posted on 07-12-2011 22:11
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March - Wikipedia loanie Kinney with superb performance in Taiwan while VDB gets it going in Italy
With Corsica and Trentino among some of the many races the team was going to race in march, was it necessary that under performing Van Den Broeck performed well enough to earn the team some much needed results.
The month didn't start well, since Roche couldn't hit the high notes in the hilly Italian classic Strade Bianche, seeing himself distanced by quite a gap by winner Rui Costa, who took advantage of a breakaway despite Pirellis best effort to close it down.
Next stop on the calender was the long and hard stage race Le Tour de Langkawi were the team was leaded by Carlos Castaño and Assan Bazajev - the latter starting the season. It was a very mixed experience, since Assan was quite disappointing in the mass sprints finishes, clearly not ready to challenge names like Cavendish, Napolitano and Ciolek. Thankfully did Carlos one again manage to take a solid overall result, finishing third and by that saving our race.
Stetina being closed down by Castaños team mates - Pirelli often takes responsibility though the rewards are mixed
Two down, though several to go and now it's time for one of the biggest races yet for the team, in importance that is! Corsica International is only 3 days long, but it involves a very hard mountain stage, and a interesting timetrial. That gives the race a popularity, something our sponsors were interesting in and the team had to have a man performing well enough (top 5). Van Den Broeck was our bet for this, and even though he didn't have the strength to follow race winner Alarcon on the tough stage 1 - then he was in contention for the last step on the podium, eyeing Valverde - the Spanish super star.
Despite a good performance by VDB on the final stage (timetrial) did Valverde take the last spot on the podium by a just a second!
Our Belgian captain was still without a stage win and even a podium finish, though we couldn't really blame him since it's no shame to lose out riders like Alarcon, Duarte and of course Valverde. Goal completed, and the team moved closer to the best 10 teams in the continental division.
Cycling can be quite strange and surprising sometimes, and this years edition of Tour de Taiwan is a excellent example of that! We had decided to rest Carlos, Nicolas and Jurgen, and opt for a rather young and inexperienced team leaded by Barzajev who seemed stronger than in Langkawi. The results were fantastic! Our Kazakh' not only one a beautiful stage win but he also managed to take the point jersey. But the success continued and from a very unexpected man! Youngster Nick Kinney, on loan from Wikipedia, took advantage of a breakaway and managed to hold on to the overall jersey until he had to give it away on the last stage of the race! It was a fantastic performance, not just by Kinney but also the team - since we had to fight very hard for Kinney's overall lead. He even managed to finish well inside top 10, something we hadn't even dreamed of!
Assan Barzajev taking a awesome win in Taiwan, thanks to a brilliant leadout by his fellow team mates
Last stop in this busy month was perhaps "Race of the Year" for the team, Giro del Trentino. The goal was clear - Van Den Broeck, now rested both physically and mentally, had to show his true colours in front of our supporters - top five was the minimal requirement. The first stage was a timetrial, and our captain didn't really shine though he delivered a solid performance, enough to distance strong climbers like Alarcon by quite a distance. Stage 2 had two big climbs on the profile, and oh my - Pirelli - Alfa Romeo was everywhere! A fantastic team effort meant that one of the favourites, Marzano was completely isolated for team mates and later dropped from the favourite group, still lead by Pirelli.
[img]https://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m584/mb261289/trentino/trent109.jpg' alt='i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m584/mb261289/trentino/trent089.jpg
A special mention has to go to former Benfica rider Saldarriga, he pulled almost every attempt to get away down
But it was still the same old story. Despite the fantastic performance by the team, were Van Den Broeck just not up for it and had to work very hard just to stay in contention for our goal. It was not what we had hoped for but there was at least one stage left for Van Den Broeck to get back in the race.
[img]https://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m584/mb261289/trentino/trent109.jpg' style='border:0px' class='forum-img' />
Yet another bitter and lacking performance by Van Den Broeck, here finishing together with Rujano, another disappointing rider this year
Our Belgian star finally had some success with his often criticised of his conservative style of riding - finishing second on the final stage of the race, only beaten by stage and overall winner Dominico Pozzovivo! Van Den Broeck even managed to end on the podium, as second and by that finally living up to his potential. He couldn't had done it without the help from the rest of the team, and it's fantastic to see the Pirelli riders working like a unit, even when the results ain't coming.
Van Den Broeck putting time on Alarcon - first time of the year that the Venezuelan showed weaknesses!
It has been a very busy month, with ups and downs though the team is beginning to finally find the melody - even though the "big win" is still lacking, after over a year in the sport. There negative vibes from the beginning of the season has slowly been changed to more optimistic ones, and we really only need a bit of luck to finally break the "curse" of not having won a stage race nor classic yet.
Castaño will lead a strong team in his homeland, were a podium finish is the target though Vuelta Castilla y Leon will be contested by Rujano and other great riders. The team will also participate in Giro dell'Appellenio, Tour of the Battenkil and Tour of Japan - were the expectations are quite low.
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rycadinho |
Posted on 06-02-2012 13:39
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April - Castaño halts expected setback during difficult month
After a great performance by most of the riders had the team managed to climb all the way up to seventh in the overall CT rankings. The staff behind Pirelli - Alfa Romeo knew that it only be for a short time, since we only had two out of five races where the team had a strong leader.
First up was Vuelta Castilla y Leon where Carlos Castaño our perhaps best rider so far in this season had to perform well so we had a little chance to defend our top 10 position. Carlos didn't show any sign of pressure and his experience from riding on one of the best teams in the world Festina - Conec really paid of with a fantastic though surprising stage win at the timetrial of the race and a overall finish as number second! Carlos was just 11 seconds behind superstar Jose Rujano when the final kilometre of the race had been completed, but we are more than happy for yet another solid display by our Spanish veteran.
Castaño on his way to win his first stage for Pirelli - Alfa Romeo[/img]
Next up was the two one day classics Giro dell'Appellenio and Tour of the Battenkill were Nicholas Roche was our best bet in the Italian race. He didn't quite live up to his status as race favourite, finishing just outside the podium. I can't help but be a little disappointed in our Irish rider, but we have to be patient since he and Van den Broeck still need time to adjust themselves to the team and it's surroundings. You can clearly see that experience is just as good as raw talent, if we compare the results of Castaño, Roche and Van den Broeck so far.
D'Andrea surprised everyone and took a nice seventh place in Tour of the Battenkill
Tour de Japan was the final stop for the team in April and well, we didn't have anything to do in the GC so the riders were given freedom to try their luck in breakaways. It didn't pay off though Murgoitio managed to end as fourth on the final stage of the race but that + TV time was the only thing Pirelli - Alfa Romeo could come up with.
May is the time for the fantastic stage race Giro d' Italia and also marks the beginning of yet another grand tour race, the Vuelta a Espana. The team didn't have enough funds to make a bid for a wild card to either races, though 2013 will change that. Pirelli - Alfa Romeo will only participate in two races, Subida al Naranco and Tour de Luxembourg but we have high hopes since Carlos and Nicolas will lead us in them. We really hope that Luxembourg will be the place where Nicolas will finally get his season going, though we expect some serious challengers namely from home favourite Kim Kirchen.
Edited by rycadinho on 06-02-2012 13:40
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