Having decided to apply for an invite to the Tour de France this year rather than the Giro d’Italia, the NetApp Endura team have thanked Giro organisers RCS Sport for giving it wildcard places in the three other WorldTour places it runs.
The German team was yesterday told that it would once again be given a slot in Tirreno-Adriatico before then getting a first-ever invite to Milan Sanremo.
The squad will then do Il Lombardia at the end of the eyar.
Team manager Ralph Denk is happy at the news. “This is a tailor-made start. Our thanks go to RCS who have considered our preferred schedule and considered us for all the races which we applied for,” he said. “It speaks volumes for our team that we are once again able to line up at the start of the best races in Italy and our ambitious wishes have been met.”
The first of those races runs from March 12th to 18th. “Tirreno – Adriatico is an extremely important milestone for us in March, in order to prepare our tour riders for our big goal for the season, the participation in the Tour de France. Being certain of starting there [Tirreno] gives the guys in the training camp extra motivation,” he said.
Last year the Pro Continental team had its best-ever season, with Leopold Konig’s stage wins in the Vuelta a España and the Tour of California being the highlights.
Performances such as those helped in its push to gain selection for the first time to Milan-Sanremo, and Denk is upbeat about the team’s chances of leaving its mark on the race on March 23rd.
“This year we have specifically aimed to have Milan – San Remo as a spring monument outside Belgium and the Netherlands on the calendar for our Classic specialists,” he said.
“Even though it is a unique challenge, as it is the longest race in professional cycling, I am confident that Milan – San Remo suits our team very well.”
Ditto for Il Lombardia, a race he believes that the squad can perform in on October 5th.
“Il Lombardia is always something special. Usually a long, hard season has already taken its toll on the legs and the weather makes it a typical fall Classic. Last year we were doing well before Bartosz Huzarski was unfortunately set back by a defect in the final. We have a score to settle,” he said.
The team is likely to have to wait several more weeks to find out if it will be given a place in the Tour de France.