Lampre-Farnese contends for the green jersey
When Italian cycling team Lampre-Farnese signed sprinter Alessandro Petacchi for the 2010 season, they may not have known how good a move it would turn out to be.
The signing happened on the cusp of a brief suspension of the team’s UCI ProTour license, which forced the team to miss the first ProTour event of the year, Austalia’s Tour Down Under.
"If Lampre has not set ts financial house in order on time, the team will certainly be withdrawn from the peloton," said UCI president Pat McQuaid at the Tour Down Under. "Lampre will not only lose its ProTour license, but would not be eligible for a Professional Continental license. We have given the team enough time to do everything they need to so that the staff and riders do not become unemployed."
The team regained its license in time to maintain its strong presence at the Giro d’Italia, where the team was led by Petacchi and Damiano Cunego, the same leaders of the team’s 2010 Tour de France squad.
Petacchi joined the team after being unhappy with his previous team, LPR Brakes, when they weren’t invited to the Grand Tours. The cyclist had won the 2007 Paris-Tours and 19 stages at the Vuelta España, and when LPR Brakes missed both races in 2009, Petacchi left the team.
"I am splitting with LPR and Bordonali on good terms, but I couldn’t compete in races I wanted to," said Petacchi to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Up until after the Giro I had a good season, and won 10 races. I was competitive. Not being invited [to the big races] is belittling."
The Italian joined Lampre with 21 Giro d’Italia stage wins, and has just achieved his sixth Tour de France stage win, the second of the 2010 Tour, overtaking sprinters Dean, Boasson Hagen, McEwen and Hunter. A dedicated team drove Petacchi to start the sprint by keeping the pace in the head of the breakaway.
"This was a perfect sprint, as perfect were today my legs: probably yesterday efforts on cobblestones helped me to be very brilliant today,” said Petacchi commented. “I didn't want to wait for Cavendish or Hushovd to start the sprint, so thanks to an outstanding action by Hondo I began my sprint at 300 meters to go."
“The victory is the prize for the efforts made by the team for me: today I won even if nobody crashed. I dedicate the success to all the team sponsors and to my mother: today is her birthday."
Lampre has hosted one over-all champion per year since 2007 and holds countless stage wins, sixteen in 2010 alone so far, and is rank twelfth in the world overall Team Classification.
The team’s newest member is 22-year-old Simon Spilak, a contender for the white jersey at the 2010 Tour de France, awarded to the best young rider.
"Simon is a top quality cyclist, as he has shown in these past three seasons on our team," said team manager Giuseppe Saronni. "We are happy that he'll be on the team for the next two years because it will be rewarding follow along with him on his path to watch him mature as a cyclist."
This is leader Petacchi’s first Tour de France in six years, and he has proven himself a strong contender for the green jersey, being the only rider to win two stages so far.
“I’m back to Tour de France I immediately won a stage: perfect life!” said Petacchi after the first stage. “I want to thank my team mates that performed an outstanding stage in my support. I knew I was good because yesterday I had good feelings in the prologue, so I decided to start the sprint early despite of the wind. This victory is for all the team sponsors.”
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