New MCipollini-Giordana team signs three former world champions
New women’s cycling team MCipollini-Giordana has been given a huge sign of good faith with the signing of three of the top female road cyclists in the world. Last year’s world champion Tatiana Guderzo, 2008 world champion Nicole Cooke and 2007 world champion
Marta Bastianelli will all race together at the new team, sponsored by Mario Cipollini and cycle clothing company Giordana.
The team brings together former world-class sprinter Cipollini’s bicycle business and the Fiamme Azzure, the sports team of the Italian Prison Service.
“Through this partnership between the Fiamme Azzure and MCipollini-Giordana we’ve taken a step of great importance because for the first time all of our athletes will be racing on the road with the same team,” said Pennisi.
The team, which already includes 2009 world junior champion Rossella Callovi, current Italian national champion Monia Baccaille and former Swiss national champion Jennifer Hohl, will be led by Walter Ricci Petitoni, who was the head of the former Selle Italia-Ghezzi
team until its demise at the end of 2009.
“This team will be immediately one of the best in the world, but the goal is several years and the intention is to grow and improve year after year,” said Francesco Pennisi to Cicloweb.it. “We can always race at a high level against the strongest, and together
with a champion such as Nicole Cooke will be a great stimulus for Guderzo, Baccaille, Bastianelli, [Marta] Tagliaferro and also [Elisa] Frisoni, although she will be increasingly focused on the track.”
Guderzo and Baccaille are transferring from team Valdarno, while Cooke is making the move after the collapse of team Vision1.
"I'm thrilled to be part of this team which has big ambitions over the coming years,” said Cooke. “The mixture of riders helps us to be competitive in all styles of races throughout the season and I'm looking forward to riding together with all the girls."
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