Five-time Giro d’Italia stage victor and points jersey winner Adriano Baffi is the latest signing for the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project, taking up a directeur sportif role with the new ProTeam squad.
The 48 year old Italian retired in 2002 and acted as a directeur sportif in the years since. He’s happy to get the chance to work with the biggest new team in the sport.
“I have worked in cycling for so many years that I feel I can really bring a lot of my experiences to
help the team,” he said. “When Brian [Nygaard, general manager] approached me saying that the team needed one more Sports Director, and wondered whether I would be interested, I was very pleased. It is an amazing group of people and a perfect way for me to find fresh motivations while, after all these years, still learning new things from my new colleagues.”
Nygaard believes that Baffi has the right temperment and experience to be a strong addition to the team. “From his days as a rider, Adriano proved himself to be one of the great tacticians,” he explained. “And since he also worked successfully as a Sports Director on some of the biggest teams in the sport, I have no doubt that he will bring a lot to our program.
“For me, he really completes the picture of a great team of sports directors working for this team: A very reliable person with a wealth of experience and the motivation to bring something new to the sport.”
Team manager Kim Andersen also underlined that he was impressed by the Italian. “You just can’t buy the type of expertise Adriano can offer our team; he has worked long and hard in the sport, and will certainly add a great deal to our core knowledge,” he stated. “Adriano has the respect of the cyclist and all his colleagues, and we will be a much richer team because of his presence.”
The former pro will join a previously-signed trio of sport directors, namely Luca Guercilena, Torsten Schmidt, and Lars Michaelsen. He will help riders such as double Tour de France runner-up Andy Schleck, his brother Frank Schleck, world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara and promising GC rider Jakob Fuglsang to get the best possible results.