The Liquigas-Doimo team has announced its nine-man roster for the Vuelta a España, which starts in Sevilla on Saturday. The team will be looking for success on all fronts based, as it is, around Giro d’Italia third place Vincenzo Nibali, Tour de France ninth place Roman Kreuziger, as well as sprinters Daniele Bennati and Jacopo Guarnieri.
“We can be competitive everywhere,” said director sportif Mario Scirea. “Nibali has a very good condition and is able to compete for the final classification, while we will see Kreuziger’s form day by day. Bennati grew a lot in August and could be competitive, and not only in the sprints. Guarnieri has great capabilities but is going to face a three week race for the first time; his primary goal is to get experience. As well as the leader we can race as protagonists thanks to a group of riders able to support and to ‘hunt’ stages.”
“The victory in the Trofeo Melinda [on August 21st] gives me a boost of hope,” said Nibali. “I have good feelings but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I want ride the Vuelta as I rode the Giro: doing my best day by day without doing any calculation.
“It’s also a new experience for me because I’ve never ridden the Vuelta. I feel good and ready to face it.”
For Kreuziger, after the efforts of the Tour de France, he will race the the Vuelta day by day. “I will know my targets after the first stages but I want to leave my mark,” said the Czech rider. “The route is hard and, for a climber like me, will offer many opportunities to be a protagonist. Races after the Tour were useful to maintain a good condition; I know that in Spain I can be competitive.”
Of the team’s two sprinters, Bennati is by far the more experienced having won two stages of the Tour, three stages of the Giro and four stages in the Vuelta; three of those came in the 2008 race, along with the points jersey. His 2010 season started well with stage wins in the Tour of Oman and Tirenno-Adriatico; a muscle problem picked up in the Driedaagse van De Panne at the end of March though, forced him to sit out the Giro d’Italia.
This was followed by non-selection for the Tour de France and he returned to racing at the Tour of Poland, having not raced for almost six weeks.
“August was useful to reacquire form and confidence in sprints,” said Bennati. “I hoped to get something better in results but my absence from races was too long. I know that my condition will grow and I want to be a protagonist.
“My aim is to win a minimum of one stage and then to wear the maglia azzura in Melbourne.”
Should Bennati continue to falter, 23-year-old Jacopo Guarnieri will happily take his place. The Italian will be riding his first ever Grand Tour but is buoyed with confidence after taking the first stage of the Tour of Poland.
“The Vuelta is a great opportunity to get experience,” he said, “I can test myself in a three week race and challenge the best sprinters. Together with Bennati we will work as a team; the most important thing is to win. For my part, I feel good and competitive. To get a victory would be a dream”
Liquigas-Doimo for the Vuelta a España:
Vincenzo Nibali, Roman Kreuziger, Daniele Bennati, Jacopo Guarnieri, Mauro Finetto, Ivan Santaromita, Maciej Paterski, Frederik Willems and Oliver Zaugg