The ISD-Neri team has confirmed the addition of Ukrainian Dmytro Grabovskyy and Italian Francesco Tomei to their 2010 roster. This latest move brings the Italian Pro Continental team's total to 23 riders.
Grabovskyy, 24, had already ridden with the team in 2009, where he took part in his first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia. His move to the team last year saw him reunite with director Luca Scinto. The pair worked together during his U23 World Championship in 2005, and also in 2006, where he won stages and the GC in the U23 Giro delle Regioni and took victory in the European individual time trial championship. He left Scinto's side in 2007 when he signed his first professional contract for Patrick Lefevere's Quick Step team.
Grabovskyy's performances last year weren't enough to secure a contract extension for the young Ukrainian, but after some hard work in the off-season, the team has decided to give him another chance to prove himself.
“We decided to give him one last chance in an agreement with the main sponsor ISD," the team's general manager Angelo Citracca explained. "Dmytro understands his mistakes and has been training very hard since November, and is determined to have a good season. He is a talent that is difficult to characterize, but he has the potential to do many things in cycling world. We did not feel it was good to leave him at home.”
The team is backed by the Ukrainian steel manufacturer it is named for, giving the team an obvious tie and influence from the country.
The final rider added to ISD-Neri for next season is Francesco Tomei. The 24 year old who was born in Lucca will begin his fourth year as a professional in 2010. Tomei rode for Panaria-Navigare in 2007, which changed names to CSF Group-Navigare in 2008, and then moved to the Italian Lampre-NGC squad in 2009. He also rode for Citracca and Scinto's U23 team in 2004 and 2005. The team expects the talented time trial specialist to be part of the leadout train for team leaders Gatto and Visconti in the sprint.