Divorce, Italian style

By Tim Maloney, European Editor

Although the rumours have been around since the Giro d'Italia, it appears now that the team cohabitation between Lampre and Cafitta will finish up at the end of the 2005 season. Team co-manager Giuseppe Saronni's Lampre squad is where diesse Giuseppe Martinelli will end up along with his protegé Damiano Cunego as well as most of the key riders from the current Lampre-Cafitta squad. Valsir, a Brescia, Italy based building products company that is currently a co-sponsor of the Barloworld team, and Lampre will likely be riding Wilier Triestina bicycles as they did in 2004, before the fusion with Cafitta, when they switched to Cannondale.

As for Lampre-Cafitta team co-manager Claudio Corti, it's not clear where he and the Cafitta sponsorship are going in 2006, but one thing is sure: Lampre-Cafitta's Giro d'Italia runner up Gibo Simoni will be riding elsewhere in 2006. The oldie but still goodie Simoni, who turns 34 later this month, is reportedly being courted by Quick.Step, Cofidis and Illes Balears for next season.

In other transfer news, 14 year pro Andrea Noé will stay with Liquigas-Bianchi, while last year's World Pro Road Championship bronze medalist Luca Paolini will leave Quick.Step to join Liquigas-Bianchi.