The American HTC-Columbia team will be looking to Marco Pinotti for the overall in the Tour of Romandie, while they will have a fit Mark Cavendish ready to take on the sprints. The race begins Tuesday with a short prologue in Porrentruy, Switzerland. Pinotti's best finish in the event was third overall in 2008, and feels good going into this year's edition.
"I'm building up for the Giro d'Italia now, so my form is good, better than it was at this point last year," Pinotti confirmed.
"I rode a very strong Tour of the Basque Country, and did alright in Fleche Wallone and Amstel Gold, even though I'm not a great one-day specialist. The Tour of Romandie course suits me. There's a very short prologue but also a very technical time trial [stage three] and some tough mountain stages that should decide the race."
Pinotti's big target will be when his home Tour begins in Amsterdam on May 8th. He looks forward to knowing where he stands after his trip to Switzerland.
"Romandie is the last chance I'll have to compare my form with my rivals before the Giro d'Italia, so it will be very important," he added.
Mark Cavendish will use the Tour of Romandie as his final tune-up before heading to the Tour of California. The Manxman has gotten off to a slow start so far this year. A combination of dental problems and bad luck have left Cavendish with stage two of the Volta a Catalunya as his only success. Cavendish will look forward to reuniting with his trusty leadout man Mark Renshaw in Romandie. Renshaw has been sidelined for most of the season with the Epstein-Barr virus.
"Mark will have a good chance in the sprints, and there's a really strong leadout team for him here. For the first time in 2010 he and Mark Renshaw will be racing together," explained sports director Tristan Hoffman.
Cavendish and Renshaw will look to find their rhythm and head to America on a high note.
"When I spoke to Mark [Cavendish] he said he was in great shape, so it's all looking very good," Hoffman added.
HTC-Columbia for the 2010 Tour of Romandie:
Mark Cavendish (GB); Bernhard Eisel (Aut); Adam Hansen (Aus); Frantisek Rabon (Cze); Mark Renshaw (Aus); Michael Rogers (Aus); Hayden Roulston (NZ)