Saxo Bank – SunGard has reversed an earlier decision for Richie Porte to compete in the Tour of California rather than the Giro d’Italia, listing the Australian as one of those who will support Alberto Contador in the upcoming Giro d’Italia.
The Danish team today announced the lineup for cycling’s second-biggest Grand Tour; Contador will lead the team, while Porte, Kasper Klostergaard, Jesus Hernandez, Daniel Navarro, Michael Mørkøv, Matteo Tosatto, Laurent Didier and Volodymir Gustov will back up his bid for success.
“We enter the Giro with a very strong and motivated squad. The final selection has not been easy as we have many strong cards on our hands but one thing is certain – this line-up is top tuned and highly motivated to win and they are strong enough to pull it off,” said team owner Bjarne Riis.
Contador is aiming to win the race for the second time in his career, and wants to put in a big performance after spending the past seven months fighting a positive test for Clenbuterol in last year’s Tour. He was cleared by the Spanish federation RFEC and while that decision has been appealed by both the UCI and WADA, is free to compete until the Court of Arbitration for Sport makes a judgement on the matter.
The Spaniard has taken six wins thus far this season, including the overall classification in the Vuelta a Murcia and the Volta a Catalunya. Riis is convinced that he and the rest of the team are heading for success in Italy.
“We are well-prepared, we want to make a difference in the race and the race will undoubtedly be a thrill to witness. I'm looking forward to being a part of it,” he said.
Porte’s participation in the race is something that the rider himself didn’t anticipate. In his VeloNation blog published twelve days ago, he discussed his programme. “As already mentioned, I won’t be doing the Giro this year,” he said then. “The decision was taken at the end of last season, and the plan instead is to do Romandie and California as part of a build up for the Tour. I’m not going to that France to ride GC, but I do plan to go and get some experience.”
Taking part in the Giro in his second year as a pro may mean that he will now miss the Tour de France.
Team-mate Michael Mørkøv is embracing the chance to back Contador in the race. “This is a dream come true for me. It's one thing to do one of the major tours but to be in the line-up of guys to support a rider like Alberto is something else,” he said.
“My main role in the race is to protect and to set a high pace on the flat stretches but I'm also here to support the team in the team time trial where we have a good chance to finish on the top step of the podium.”
The Giro d’Italia begins in Turin next Saturday and concludes three weeks later in Milan.