Barloworld prepares for upcoming races

Team Barloworld will be looking to improve upon last year's second place in the GP Lugano when it contests this year's edition on Sunday. Coming off a narrow loss in the Trofeo Laigueglia where Enrico Gasparotto finished fourth in a tight bunch sprint, the team's will be counting on the Italian and his fellow sprinter Baden Cooke in the Swiss race.

The team will also include promising South African John-Lee Augustyn, Francesco Bellotti, Patrick Calcagni, Gianpaolo Cheula, Marco Corti and Carlo Scognamiglio.

Meanwhile, the team's climbers will travel to South Africa for the MTN Giro del Capo and Cape Argus, which will be held between 4-9 March. Both races are major objectives for the team, as they are held on the home roads of the team's main sponsor Barloworld.

Robert Hunter, Christian Pfannberger, Daryl Impey, Christopher Froome, Hugo Sabido and Felix Cárdenas, will be part of the team in South Africa for the five day 613 km race between Wellington and Cape Town. The squad will be aiming to repeat their 2007 success, where they won three stages, the overall classification and several other placings.