A lonely road. Ivan Basso (Liquigas-Cannondale) is building towards the Giro d'Italia.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Sylwester Szmyd and Damiano Caruso at the Liquigas-Cannondale training camp in Cecina.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Sylwester Szmyd (Liquigas-Cannondale) is Ivan Basso's most trusted gregario.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Cristian Salerno is in his second year at Liquigas-Cannondale.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) will be one of the stars of 2012.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) prepares for the classics.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Daniel Oss (Liquigas-Cannondale) will be a man to watch in the classics.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Liquigas-Cannondale on the road in Tuscany.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Liquigas-Cannondale train in Tuscany.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Far from the madding crowd, Liquigas-Cannondale riders prepare for 2012.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
The Liquigas-Cannondale squad made the most of the Tuscan sunshine.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Damiano Caruso (Liquigas-Cannondale) had a tough winter.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Eros Capecchi and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) in training.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Eros Capecchi (Liquigas-Cannondale) is a rider of vast potential.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Ivan Basso rides alongside Daniel Oss.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Ivan Basso and Sylwester Szmyd at the Liquigas-Cannondale training camp in Tuscany.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
Alessandro Vanotti (Liquigas-Cannondale) gets in the miles.(Image credit: Paolo Barbieri)
While a number of their colleagues are already in racing mode at the Santos Tour Down Under or about to start their seasons at the Tour de San Luis in Argentina, Ivan Basso and Peter Sagan were among the Liquigas-Cannondale riders still fine-tuning their form at the team’s training camp in Cecina, Tuscany during the week.
Basso is building towards the Giro d’Italia and will not begin his season until February 18, at the Trofeo Laigueglia, long a staple of the early-season in Italy. His first stage race of the campaign is set to be Paris-Nice, and he will continue his Giro preparation at the Volta a Catalunya and the Giro del Trentino.
Given his ambitions in the Classics, it’s no surprise that the precocious Peter Sagan’s season begins a little earlier. He’ll measure himself in the sprints against the likes of Mark Cavendish at the Tour of Qatar and Oman, before returning to Europe. After tackling Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico, the 21-year-old will line up among the dark horses for victory at Milan-San Remo, and then head north for a tilt at the cobbled classics.
For a gallery of Liquigas-Cannondale’s recent travails in Tuscany, click here, and check out a behind-the-scenes video from the team below.
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