2014 is fast approaching a with it is a new look for our HQ. The front pages have been updated, and we have endeavoured to make our plain HQ updates more pleasing on the eye. However it is also a time of turmoil, and transfers alike! We have followed suit from other teams and are making a list so other managers know who they can sign and who we won't let go!

For Sale (high price)

Enrico Battaglin
Stefano Pirazzi
Francesco Bongiorno

For Sale (low price

Davide Mucelli
Enrico Barbin
Stefano Locatelli
Alfredo Balloni
Edoardo Zardini
Angelo Pagani
Andrea Pasqualon
Donato de Ieso
Antonio Santoro

No plans, but could be sold

Nicola Boem
Andrea di Corrado
Marco Coledan
Christian Delle Stelle
Filippo Baggio

Would require a big offer

Marco Canola
Filippo Fortin
Sonny Colbrelli
Sacha Modolo

What do we want?

As you probably all know by now, Bardiani is morphing into a sprinter's team, hence the riders on each part of the list. We would like young sprinters (ideally Italian) to supplement our ranks, but naturally, we have to have a lead out train for these talents, so any fighters or time trialists are always welcome. And of course, there is always money!

When do we want it?

As a team we are strongly against pre dealing, which is why we left this list till the last minute. However transfers are fast approaching and we will listen to any offers. However nothing will be confirmed before Ollfardh gives the go ahead.

As a team we are delighted to learn that Nicola Ruffoni will be joining our team for the coming season. He is a promising young Italian sprinter, so he should fit in well with the rest of our squad. This is part of the new draft initiative set up by the EPIC. We at Bardiani are honoured by these attempts to level out the field, and we are very happy someone with the quality of Ruffoni is joining our team.

The transfer season proper has already began, and as the flurry of initial activity begins to die down (well not really, but still ) it is time to assess our first 3 moves, to welcome new faces and say goodbye to old friends.

First off, we made a deal with Team NetApp to get Alexander Wetterhall, a Swedish time trial rider. He is a quality man against the clock, but the main reason we signed him is because of his ability on the flat, which should be a great credit to our sprint train. Unfortunately, to secure this signing we had to say goodbye to Edoardo Zardini. He has been a great servant to the team and we wish him all the best next year at NetApp.

Our next signing was an even more complicated switch, this time with our friends at AG2R. We again wanted to consolidate our lead out train, and did this by signing Gediminas Bagdonas and Hugo Houle. Both of them are exceptionally talented on the flat, but Bagdonas in particular is a real all rounder, who can excel on any terrain. Again though there was a cost. Stefano Locatelli and Angelo Pagani both left the team. We wish them luck, but unfortunately they did not fit our team model.

Some say that these deals show the team is abandoning our Italian heritage, going only for glory, but these decisions were not taken lightly. It is hard to try and be a successful, highly specialised team while relying solely on Italian riders, so we can no longer sustain our team set up. However, the team will remain largely Italian, and these deals represented bargains for us, so we had to take them. All the while we are in negotiations with other Italian teams, such as Androni, Cannondale and Lampre, and our primary focus is securing the best Italian talent. We expect many more deals in the days to come ,and look forward to next season.

Well, the transfer season has progressed, and we keep on making new deals and great bargains to help our team out for the coming season. It is hard work but it is worth it when we take a step back and see how our team is shaping up for next year.

Enrico Barbin is another old friend of the team we will have to say goodbye to at the end of the year. He has been a great rider for Bardiani, but we do have to say goodbye to him. In the end an offer came in from Androni that was just too good to refuse. We understand they are trying to improve their Ardennes squad and we are trying to get rid of those riders. Therefore it was beneficial for both parties.

Unfortunately we have been losing more riders than gaining over the last few deals. Stefano Pirazzi was the next man to go. Again, the offer from BMC was too good to turn down, especially since he is yet another of our riders who does not fit the team mould. He is a real fighter as well as a strong climber, so he should be a great help to the BMC team in the mountains next year,

However all of this selling and dealing finally gave us the pulling power to attract our biggest target. An Italian sprinting team can only really have one target, and we signed him. Elia Viviani will be joining, and leading our team for next year. As THE Italian sprinter we are delighted to welcome him, even if it might make our other sprinters a bit nervous. There is nothing quite like competition is there! However, like every deal, this came at a cost. Enrico Battaglin and Francesco Bongiorno are two more riders to depart. They have been great talents for our team, delivering some outstanding results. However, they are no sprinters, and we received a good offer, with a strong rider and a lot of money in exchange.

Here at Bardiani we never stop looking at ways to improve the team, hence we have yet more dealings to report on. Recently we have been in negotiations with Lampre, and this has yielded some amazing results. Our dealings wielded fruit, and we are dlighted to welcome two new riders to the team, and to say goodbye to another old servant. The new riders are Elia Favilli and Massimo Graziato. Both of them are very talented riders who will play a key part in our lead out train. Elia is also multitalented, and can ride well on the hills or cobbles, making him very valuable for our team, who some accuse of being one dimensional. However the cost was Davide Mucelli. You know the story by now, he has been a good servant of the team, but it is time to say goodbye, as we make the transition to a sprinters team.

After this we had more happy news from the draft rounds. In round 2 we got our second favourite draft target, in Niccolo Bonifazio. He will help our team a lot next year, even if it means we have quite a selection issue for the flat stages!

Finally, with the draft fast approaching, we spotted a bargain from Switzerland. Martin Kohler will be joining us from BMC this season for only 5000. The BMC manager was probably trying to make way for new free agent talent, and we were happy to fill the gap. In the end we are both satisfied, and we have a new rider who will be a great worker for the team. He is a real fighter and should help us out particularly on flat terrain doing the dirty work our sprinters will capitalise on.

The FA sale has already begun in earnest with a huge number of deals and bidding wars emerging. However, our first two deals were more covert operations, as we signed both of them up for the minimum cost possible.

The first was Sebastian Lander. He is a talented flat/sprint rider from Denmark. Last year he was riding for BMC, but was released, much to our bemused delight, as he had been a transfer target of ours anyway. He may not be Italian but we are sure he will fit right in.

Next up was Giorgio Brambilla. As one of Italy's finest sprinters he belongs on a quality team, and that is the opportunity we are giving him. Again, we were bemused by the lack of interest when worse riders were selling at stupendous prices.

However we have plenty of spots still to fill, but that is fast becoming untrue, especially with our next two signings. Travis Meyer will be joining us. It will be nice to have someone on the team who Fabian can relate to, and he is also a strong flat and time trial rider. After that we signed Stig Broeckx. He is one of the best riders available in terms of pure flat power, making his sum a bargain, despite the fact we had to look outside of Italy to get him.

Last but not least is Andrea Piechele. We are delighted to be welcoming yet another good young Italian sprinter. In his first year he will not get many chances to ride for himself. However, he is already feeling right at home, riding for a team which comes from his country and specialises in his discipline. This final deal completes our squad, and we now focus all of our attention on to the up and coming season. For more information on our squad you can see the first few posts in our HQ.

Well, the first race applications have been overwhelmingly positive from our perspective, and so we are here to take you through all of the races we will be riding in the upcoming season section. Hopefully we will see some great results from the team, so wish us luck for 2015!

Our season starts in Gabon. It is a week long stage race with some hilly terrain, but nothing too tough. Therefore we felt it suits Sonny Colbrelli perfectly. He will be helped out by Tom O'Callaghan and Gediminas Bagdonas .

Our next race is the Tour of San Luis . We are mainly interested in the sprints, for which we brought Sacha Modolo . We are sending another strong support squad, so it should be interesting.

After that is our first major race, the Tour of Qatar. It is only a continental event, but it is normally one packed with WT teams. However it could also be one we shine in, particularly when Fabian Brookes will be leading the team. As our best sprinter he should be targeting stage wins and a high standing in the points jersey.

After that we head to Oman . This is Elia Viviani's first race for us. Helping him to settle in will be Tom O'Callaghan . There are a few stages we could win here, so hopefully we will get lucky.

The next stop for the team is in Malaysia for the Tour of Langkawai . Fabian Brookes will be leading there, helped out mostly by Nicola Ruffoni . With a huge number of flat stages we expect great things.

Meanwhile in Spain Sacha Modolo will be captaining the team in Almeria . It is a flat classic that is often swept under the radar, so we are in with a chance of a good result. He will be led out by Tom O'Callaghan .

Then we return to Italy, where we race the Roma Maxima . It is hilly, but there is a chance of a sprint, so we will send Sonny Colbrelli and Tom O'Callaghan .

Our rather limited cobble season will begin and end with Nokere Koerse . Elia Viviani will lead us there. We hope it comes down to a sprint, where he will be one of the favourites.

Viviani's form should continue into the Tirreno Adriatico . As one of the biggest races of the whole year for us, we expect great things of him. We will send a strong team to lead him to glory.

After that is La Primavera, Milan San Remo . Our best bet is to try and control the race, hoping for a sprint. If that happens Elia Viviani will be there to capitalise.

Most teams see De Panne as a warm up for the cobbled season. For us it is a chance to grab a few stages. Elia Favilli and Sacha Modolo both have a good chance of taking a stage, for very different reasons. Tom O'Callaghan will be backing them up.

Modolo and O'Callaghan will also be our main pairing in the Volta Limburg Classic , our last race of the season part. Hopefully it will end on a high.

We are currently trying to be granted applications for the GP Marseillaise and the Volta ao Algarve . If we get in they will be lead by Sonny Colbrelli and Gediminas Bagdonas respectively.