Italian climber Emanuele Sella will have an earlier-than-expected start to his season after his Androni Giocattoli team decided to send him to the Tour de San Luis in Argentina.
The Venezuelan Carlos Ochoa was originally due to take part, but the team stated today that because of an intestinal virus, he had been scratched from its start list. The coaching team decided that Sella was the fittest of the remaining riders and so he has been given the call-up.
“Sella is enthusiastic and he will be one of the Androni leaders in the Argentinean race,” said the team.
With the Tour de San Luis beginning on January 23rd, he is starting the season around the same time as he did last year when he lined out in the Tour de Langkawi. He finished third overall there, then went on to take an number of other good season results in races such as the Classica Sarda (second) , Settimana Coppi e Bartali stage 3 (first) , Settimana Coppi e Bartali (first), Giro della Toscana (fourth), Giro di Padania (sixth) and the Coppa Sabatini, where he was ninth.
He also finished 35th in the Giro d’Italia. It was a solid-enough ride, but was also far off the three stage wins, mountains classification and sixth overall he racked up in the 2008 edition, prior to being disqualified for CERA usage.
Sella will be joined by compatriots Roberto Ferrari and Giairo Ermeti in Argentina, as well as the Colombians Josè Serpa and Miguel Angel Rubiano plus the Venezuelan Jackson Rodriguez.