Venchi is now 100% finished with the transfer season. We ended up with 20 riders – 13 of them from Italy, and 3 of them are on loan. We are pleased to announce the signings of the riders, and hopefully will they be very useful in our fight for promotion.
Among the signings, 6 great domestiques signed for the team. These riders are Cristian Cominelli, Antonio Santoro, Benedetto Monterastelli, Nevio Tirloni and Marco Corti. The last rider is the talented climber Fabio Aru. He is on loan from the team Pirelli – Alfa Romeo, and we are happy that he said yes to be a part of our team this season. Cominelli is a rider we hope to develop into a good cobbled rider in a couple of seasons. Also Monterastelli can be very useful in the cobble classics in a couple of season. In Santoro we have found a rider who will develop into a decent helper in the mountains. Nevio and Marco is a part of our development program for sprinters. Especially Marco is a very good talent. So these riders will be used as domestiques this year, but all of them is capable of develop into another role in the team.
The other 5 riders we signed has a key role in the team. Davide Viganò and Sergio Marinangeli is capable of leading the team in the sprints. Viganò will lead the team in the races where the stages are flat, while Marinangeli is our rider for the more hilly sprint stages. We expect them to take some wins this season. Peter Sagan. Here we got a future top rider! In a couple of season, maybe even next year, we will see this guy shine in the hilly races. This year he will help our leaders in the hills and mountains, but will get the opportunity to shine in some races. Now to the 2 last riders. Our leader in the hills will be without doubt Cesare Di Maggio. The Italian is coming from the ProTour where he previously rode for the team Webeffect. Di Maggio hasn’t proved much in the ProTour, but we hope to see him shine in the ContinentalTour. The last rider is Franco Pellizotti. The former winner of Tour of America finished the season 7th at the invidual rankings. He is growing older, but we hope he can show he is worth his money once again!
Venchi to be Fully Focused on Hills and Sprints in 2013
The team manager of the cycling team Team Venchi ProCycling, 'Sykkel_Freak', today told Gazzetta dello Sport about the future plans of his Italian team. Even though he wasn't too happy talking about sponsors and finances for the next season, he could reveal a big part of information about riders and the focus for the next seasons. From the transfer season begins, Venchi will try building up a better team around Cesare Di Maggio, as well as strengthen up the sprint team quite a lot - which is already pretty strong.
With two strong focuses from next year, the climbing/stage race section of the team will be a bit "weaker". 'Sykkel_Freak' eagerly told about Duarte and how happy he was with his performances this year, but the voice got another sound when we mentioned Pellizotti. The veteran have previously been in loud arguments with the manager if you believe the rumors and will most probably not renew his contract.
LONG GONE: Franco Pellizotti will probably not renew.
'Sykkel_Freak' obviously wants a whole new sprinting team, so you would assume there's not much money left to strengthen up the hill part of the team. However, the manager has pointed out Ben Nasser, Rui Costa from the CSC-Orbea team and El Fares from Carmeuse as targets in the transfer season. Ben Nasser was a target already last year, said 'Sykkel_Freak', but wasn't able to accept the demands of the Proximus team. Proximus is another team disbanding after the 2012 season, which opens up another chance for Venchi to get him.
TARGETED: Napolitano is one of several Venchi targets in the transfer season.
The young talent Peter Sagan is predicted a bright future. The Slovak will go on loan if Venchi doesn't promote. Joining him will Marco Corti, the future great sprinter. 'Sykkel_Freak' could also tell us about Norwegian Haavardsholm which is on loan from Volkswagen - Siemens. The manager from the same country told us Haavardsholm really liked spending time with the riders on the team, and would definitely stay on a permanent contract if the possibility came.
Edited by Sykkel_Freak on 15-06-2012 13:38
After a long season of racing, I'm happy to announce Team Venchi ProCycling ended 7th on the final ranking. Venchi was the 6th team out of a total of seven to promote to the Pro Tour in company with amongst others: Team Bianchi, who won the division (congratulations to them!) and fellow new teams of the year, Aker Solutions - Bergans and Team Puma - SAP. And it has to be said: without the help from our italian superstar, Cesare di Maggio, Venchi would never been even close to achieving this amazing result. We got him quite cheap from Webeffect and Cesare really got his brakethrough in the Continental Division. Let's take a look on how this season went by.
VICTORY: Cesare di Maggio wins stage 4 of Tour Meditteraneen.
About a month after the success in France, Portugal and the Volta ao Algarve waited with the expectation of a top 5 overall placement for our captein Franco Pellizotti. Even though that proved to be difficult, Sergio Marinangeli and Peter Sagan both went home with one jersey each. Marinangeli won the points jersey, while Sagan won our second youth jersey (two out of many this season!).
WE LOVE GREEN: Sergio Marinangeli enjoying the applause from the fans in Algarve.
So at this moment, we had a green jersey, a yellow jersey and two white. We're missing one. The polkadot jersey. Valerio Agnoli noticed this at the Corsica International and went in the breakaway on the mountain stage and got it! It's worth pointing out Fabio Duarte also did a good race, finishing 2nd overall behind the monster Alarcon of Aker Solutions - Bergans.
ITALY VS. POLAND: Agnoli edges out Rutkiewicz on the last KoM sprint of the stage.
Longer east, in the Presidential Tour of Turkey, our young star Peter Sagan got another chance to shine. Sagan opened the show with a great sprint win on the 5th stage, and our sprinting star Corioni shortly after followed up with a new win on the 6th stage. Sagan was our best rider in the general classification, ending 4th, which also gave him another youth jersey. Truly a talent, that boy!
BEATING THE OPPOSITION: Sagan wins 5th stage of Presidential Tour of Turkey.
The drought had to come eventually. Nearly three months went without victory for Venchi. In late june, our team lead by Cesare di Maggio, came to the British islands hungry for a new win. And win was what we, or di Maggio if you like, did! In the GP of Wales our italian gun had powers no other rider was able to top. The drought had finally ended.
TASTY: Di Maggio edges out the opponents at GP of Wales.
Enough di Maggio. There are actually other riders on this team too! Valerio Agnoli being one of them. Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt was raced with Duarte as the captain, but when he underperformed, Valerio Agnoli attacked. He won as well! The 5th stage. What seemed like a rather dissapointing race turned out good with this stage win.
TOUGH: Agnoli had no powers left to celebrate when crossing the finish line of the 5th stage of Int. Osterreich Rundfahrt.
From one break away win to 'another'. Sestili didn't win a stage from a break, but he certainly had to attend the break away to take his only win of the season! Our time trialer won the KoM jersey in Ras de Cymru by attacking on stage 5 of the race and secure all the points he needed to win it. That was not the only jersey Venchi won in this race, though. Di Maggio had to have his youth jersey!
ON THE ATTACK: Sestili starting on his points capture to hopefully win the KoM jersey in Ras de Cymru.
We sent a strong team around Duarte to hopefully beat Alarcon in Brixia Tour, and that really paid of in the initial team time trial. With power horses as Bodnar and Sestili in addition to Duarte, we were able to put in a stronger time than every other team. A true team win! We brought a sprinter in the squad too, which paid off. Corioni took his second stage win of the season!
THE BEST: Venchi with a new best time at the team time trial in Brixia Tour.
Agnoli won the KoM competition in Corsica International, but we lacked a stage win in a HC race. In Tour de Pologne that was changed. Corioni was clearly the best sprinter in the race. He won the first stage, and was the best sprinter in the pack on the next two stages as well. Ginanni nearly caught him, but Corioni was able to hold on to the points jersey the whole race and win it with the smallest margin possible, one point. Di Maggio also had a good race, finishing 2nd behind rival Ginanni and winning another youth jersey.
FIRST: Corioni takes stage 1 of Tour de Pologne.
As well as the race in Poland, a HC race in Portugal was raced at the same time. Volta a Portugal, where Franco Pellizotti had an overall win to defend. Even though that didn't happen, with a stage win, KoM jersey and a stage win from Marinangeli in addition to those two things, we could be very happy with this race also!
MULTIPLE COLOURS: Pellizotti in the green jersey behind race winner Sanchez of Cerne in Volta a Portugal.
The honour of ending our win streak this season went to one of the italian veterans, Francesco Reda. Reda went in the breakaway on the 5th stage of Tour of Britain and won the sprint for the win. This became our last win in the Continental Division for now. Are heads are turned towards 2013 and Pro Tour, were we hope to achieve some wins as well! Really looking forward to it, and I'm sure Reda, Di Maggio and the rest of the team does as well!
LAST ONE: Reda got the last stage win for Venchi in the Continental Tour of 2012 in Tour of Britain.
Though, it's reported your Norwegian talent Phan Åge Haugård has told the local newspaper Budstikka, that he wants to join Aker - MOT for the next season, as they're a team based in Norway. He thinks that would fit him better than riding with an Italian team, where his chances to shine are limited. Also, Aker - MOT said in the same Budstikka that they hope to sign Haugård in the transfer season, as he fits the new profile of the team perfect, being young and Norwegian.
Do you have any comments on Aker - MOT's reported interest in Haugård, or that Haugård is reported to want a switch to Aker - MOT for 2013?
Edited by ember on 11-10-2012 23:14
I have personally talked to Haugård and can confirm the reports about him wanting to move to Aker - MOT. If any team fits better for Haugård than Venchi, it has to be Aker - MOT. We are willing to listen to any offer, but the price will need to reflect his great talent for us to release him.
