February 29/12 8:58 am - Tirreno-Adriatico Releases Start List

Posted by Editor on 02/29/12
 

One of the first major stage races of the European season, the Tirreno-Adriatico, has announced a stellar cast of riders for the start in San Vincenzo on March 7th.  The race begins with a 16.9 kilometre team time trial.  There are two Canadians on the start list - Dominique Rollin (FDJ-Big Mat) and Svein Tuft (GreenEdge).

The overall contenders challenging for the winner’s trident trophy include 2011 Tirreno-Adriatico winner Cadel Evans, Italians Vincenzo Nibali, Michele Scarponi and Stefano Garzelli, Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez, Roman Kreuziger of the Czech Republic and Slovakia’s Peter Velits.

The sprint stages will be fiercely contested as Milan-Sanremo looms large on the horizon. World champion Mark Cavendish will face Alessandro Petacchi, Matthew Goss (the 2011 Milan-Sanremo winner), Andrè Greipel, Oscar Freire, Tyler Farrar, Daniele Bennati, Gerald Ciolek, Michael Matthews and Sacha Modolo.

Philippe Gilbert leads the classics riders who are expected to challenge on the hilly stages in the central Italian Apennines. Also on the star-studded start list are Fabian Cancellara, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Peter Sagan, Alessandro Ballan, Italian national champion Giovanni Visconti, Filippo Pozzato, Alessandro Ballan, Oscar Gatto and talented young Italian Enrico Battaglin.

The full list of the 22 teams and their team leaders:

Acqua & Sapone (ITA) (Garzelli, Betancur)
AG2R La Mondiale (FRA) (Nocentini, Belletti)
Astana Pro Team (KAZ) (Kreuziger, Gasparotto)
BMC Racing Team (USA) (Evans, Gilbert)
Colnago - CSF Inox (IRL) (Modolo, Battaglin)
Colombia - Coldeportes (COL) (Duarte, Laverde)
Euskaltel - Euskadi (ESP) (Izaguirre Insausti, Txurruka)
Farnese Vini - Selle Italia (GBR) (Pozzato, Gatto)
FDJ - Big Mat (FRA) (Pinot, Offredo)
Garmin - Barracuda (USA) (Farrar, Millar)
GreenEdge Cycling Team (AUS) (Goss, O’Grady)
Katusha Team (Rus) (Rodriguez, Freire)
Lampre - ISD (ITA) (Scarponi, Petacchi)
Liquigas - Cannondale (ITA) (Nibali, Sagan)
Lotto Belisol Team (BEL) (Greipel, Vanendert)
Movistar Team (ESP) (Visconti, Rui Costa)
Omega Pharma - Quickstep (BEL) (Ciolek, Velits)
Rabobank Cycling Team (NED) (Breschel, Matthews)
Radioshack - Nissan (LUX) (Cancellara, Bennati)
SKY Procycling (GBR) (Cavendish, Boasson Hagen)
Team Saxo Bank (DEN) (Chris Sorensen, Boaro)
Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team (NED) (Hoogerland, Marcato)