Savoldelli to lead Astana in Giro

Italian Paolo Savoldelli is going into the Giro d'Italia with high hopes. Following a successful Tour of Romandie, Savoldelli is looking forward to another chance at victory in the Giro, which he won in 2002 and 2005.

Fellow Italian Eddy Mazzoleni will support Savoldelli. Mazzoleni, who also showed strong form throughout Romandie, finished tenth in the Giro in 2003. The two Italians will be backed by five Kazakh racers, including Serguei Yakovlev, who finished third in stage ten last year.

The team will race under the direction of managers Mario Kummer, Giovanni Fidanza and Adriano Baffi.

Astana for Giro d'Italia: Assan Bazayev, Maxim Gourov, Benoît Joachim, Eddy Mazzoleni, Andrey Mizourov, Steve Morabito, Dimitri Muravyev, Paolo Savoldelli, and Serguei Yakovlev.