The official announcement is yet to be made by Giro d’Italia organisers RCS Sport but the Italian registered Vini Fantini, Bardiani CSF and Team Colombia have been given the three available wildcard slots remaining for the Italian Grand Tour.
The trio join previously-confirmed Androni Venezuela, which secured its invite by winning the team prize in the Coppa Italia last season.
Those four teams will take their place alongside the eighteen WorldTour squads in this May’s race. However it appears that there is no place for Katusha, the previous WorldTour team which has been refused registration this year by the UCI’s Licences Commission; unsuccessful today in its bid for a wildcard, its sole hope of riding the event rests with it being able to successfully over turn the Licence Commission’s decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Although it is registered as an Italian squad, Team Colombia is very much drawn from the latter country. Centred around climbing specialists, it is hoping to return Colombian cycling to the glory days of the 1980s, when riders such as Luis Herrera and Fabio Parra fought it out for some of the top prizes in the sport.
The 2008 world under 23 champion Fabio Duarte and 2011 Tour de l’Avenir champion Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio are amongst those who will be expected to take part.
Vini Fantini is the new name of the Farnese Vini - Selle Italia team, which won a stage last year with Andrea Guardini. He’s since moved on to the Astana team, but it will aim for success with former Giro winner Stefano Garzelli, past Tour de Langkawi winner Yonathan Monsalve and others.
The Bardiani CSF team includes Presidential Tour of Turkey and Tour of Austria stage winner Sacha Modolo plus up and coming young rider Enrico Battaglin.
In contrast to their satisfaction, seven teams are disappointed today. Those which lose out are Katusha, Caja Rural, Europcar, IAM Cycling, NetApp -Endura, Sojasun and Novo Nordisk Team.
NetApp-Endura made its Grand Tour debut in the race last year and with two second-places on stages to its credit, it had hoped to once again compete. It will now turn its attention instead to the organisers of the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, as will the other teams.
More details to follow soon on this story…