“Ale-Jet” Petacchi leads blue-fuchsia team as it seeks vital end-of-season ranking points
Lampre-ISD will be led by Alessandro Petacchi in next week’s Tour of Beijing as the ble-fuchsia team hopes to close a disappointing season with some success. The Italian team currently sits 14th out of 18 in the International Cycling Union (UCI) WorldTour ranking, and has taken just eight victories so far this year - and none in the WorldTour.
With four teams below it in the rankings, it is unlikely that Lampre-ISD’s position at cycling’s top table is under serious threat, but general manager Giuseppe Saronni will be looking for results in the team’s final opportunity to improve.
“During the season we didn’t obtain the good results we aimed to, even if we gave valuable experience to young talent that will be the top riders in the future,” said the former World champion. “The Beijing race will be very important for us because our goal is to complete the season in a winning way and to gain the points in the WorldTour ranking.”
Of Lampre-ISD’s eight victories, Petacchi has taken three and, as one of the most successful sprinters in the peloton, the Beijing course should be to his liking. Aside from the third stage - where Irishmen Nicolas Roche and Philip Deignan managed to hold off the peloton - all of the road stages in last year’s inaugural race finished in bunch sprints. While there is considerably more climbing in this year’s edition - including an uphill finish at the end of stage three - most days will have flat finishes, which could all be suitable for the sprinters.
Petacchi will be supported by lead out men Davide Viganò, Davide Cimolai and Grega Bole, with Manuele Mori and Daniele Pietropolli looking to succeed in breakaways. Morris Possoni will be focussing on that uphill stage to the Great Wall, where teammate Damiano Cunego - who will not be at this year’s race - took maximum points over last year, and so will be the team’s general classification rider in the five-day race.
The team will be completed by developing rider Adriano Malori, who wore the Maglia Rosa at the Giro d’Italia in May.
Lampre-ISD team for the Tour of Beijing
Grega Bole, Davide Cimolai, Adriano Malori, Manuele Mori, Alessandro Petacchi, Daniele Pietropolli, Morris Possoni and Davide Viganò