Liquigas – Cannondale looks to continued success in 2012

Liquigas-Cannondale is focusing on the grand tours and classics for the 2012 season. Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali are the captains assigned the task of hunting down the big stage races, and their main goal is the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France respectively. However this choice does not rule them out of competing in both: if the team decides that Basso and Nibali are to focus their efforts on one of the two races, it is still undecided if the Varese rider will be at the Tour or if the Sicilian will compete in the Giro. Liquigas-Cannondale wants to assess the performance and condition of the two riders over the coming months before making any decisions. The rest of the season’s programme for Basso and Nibali will only be scheduled once this has been finalised.

The classics will feature prominently on the calendar for Peter Sagan, the team’s key rider for the one-day races. The Slovak champion will compete in the Milano-Sanremo and then share the responsibility of performing well in the cobbled classics with Daniel Oss and Elia Viviani (except for the Paris-Roubaix when only Oss will race). Sagan’s biggest goal this summer will then be the Tour de France: after winning three stages at last year’s Vuelta a España (the first Grand Tour of his career), Sagan will endeavour to make his mark on the Grande Boucle.

Season debut in Australia and Argentina

Just like in previous years, Liquigas-Cannondale will make its season debut many miles from home. The first official race is the Cancer Council Classic in Australia, on 15th January, and the team will stay on in Australia for the Tour Down Under from 17th to 22nd January. Seven riders, led by DS Biagio Conte, are scheduled to race: Stefano Agostini, Federico Canuti, Mauro Da Dalto, Kristijan Koren, Alan Marangoni, Daniele Ratto and Fabio Sabatini.

Next up is the Tour de San Luis, in Argentina, from to 23rd to 29th January. Six men, accompanied by DS Mario Scirea, have been selected: Vincenzo Nibali, Elia Viviani, Tiziano Dall’Antonia, Timmy Duggan, Ted King and José Sarmiento.

A training camp has been organised from 13th to 21st January for all the riders not competing in Australia and Argentina. The team will make its Italian debut at the Gran Premio Costa degli Etruschi on 4th February.

The first part of the season for Basso, Nibali and Sagan

As mentioned previously, the first of the three captains to make their season debut will be Vincenzo Nibali in Argentina. The “Shark of the Strait” will continue with the Tour of Oman (14th – 19th February), the Giro del Friuli (1st March), and the Tirreno-Adriatico (7th – 13th March) before heading into the classics season with the Milano-Sanremo (17th March), the Amstel Gold Race (15th April), La Flèche Wallonne (18th April) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (22nd April), as well as the Vuelta al Pais Vasco (2nd – 7th April). After this Nibali will decide with the team whether to compete in the Giro d’Italia (5th – 27th May). If he doesn’t do the Giro, Nibali will continue with the Critérium du Dauphine (3rd – 10th June) before tackling the Tour de France (30th June – 22nd July).

In chronological order, the second to debut will be Peter Sagan at the Tour of Qatar (5th – 10th February), followed by the Tour of Oman (14th – 19th February), the Giro del Friuli (1st March), Strade Bianche (3rd March) and the Tirreno-Adriatico (7th – 13th March). The Slovak champion will then chase down his first classic, the Milano-Sanremo (17th March), before heading to Belgium to face the Harelbeke (23rd March), Gent-Wevelgem (25th March) and the Tour des Flandres (1st April). He will also go to Holland for the Amstel Gold Race (15th April). Before tackling the Tour de France, Sagan will compete in the Tour of California (13th – 20th May) and the Tour de Suisse (9th – 17th June).

Ivan Basso is the last captain to debut and he’ll be greeting fans for the first time in 2012 at the Trofeo Laigueglia (18th February). This will be followed by the GP Insubrica (25th February), the GP di Lugano (26th February) and the Paris-Nice (4th – 11th March). Before taking on the Giro d’Italia, Basso will race in the Vuelta a Catalunya (19th – 25th March) and the Giro del Trentino (17th – 20th April). Once he has finished the Giro, Basso will decide the fixtures for the second part of the season with the management as he prepares for the Tour de France or the Vuelta a España.

The ambitions of Capecchi, Oss and Viviani

These three men will provide invaluable support for their captains but there will also be plenty of opportunities for pursuing personal glory for Liquigas-Cannondale’s three promising young talents Eros Capecchi, Daniel Oss and Elia Viviani.

Capecchi will make his season debut at the Giro di Sardegna (21st – 25th February) and follow a race programme to get him in top-notch condition for the Giro d’Italia (Capecchi will race in the Tirreno-Adriatico, the Vuelta a Catalunya and the Giro del Trentino). After the Giro, Capecchi will target the Vuelta a España (18th August – 9th September) where he will play a major role.

Oss, from Trento in Italy, is set to debut at the Tour of Qatar and then race in the Tour of Oman, the Giro del Friuli, Strade Bianche, the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Milano-Sanremo. Next up are “his” races in Belgium – the cobbled classics (Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Tour des Flandres and Paris-Roubaix), before he focuses on the Tour of California, the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France. Following the Grande Boucle, Oss will aim for a place on the Italian team at the Olympic Games in London.

The first part of the season offers a combination of road and track for Viviani, from Verona, Italy. He starts the season with the Tour de San Luis before defending his title at the GP Costa degli Etruschi on 4th February. Then he goes to London from 15th to 19th February for the Track Cycling World Cup, where he can earn vital points to qualify for the Olympic Games. After his trip to England, Viviani will compete in the Giro di Sardegna, the Classica Sarda, the Paris-Nice and most probably in the Milano-Sanremo. He then has three races in Belgium (Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem and Tour des Flanders) and only after these will his other fixtures be decided, which might see Viviani heading to Australia for the Track Cycling World Championships (4th – 8th April) and then back to Italy for the first big stage race of his career, the Giro d’Italia. Viviani’s main goal this summer will be the Olympic Games in London where he will represent Italy in the omnium.