Visconti declared fit for Amstel Gold Race

Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli

Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini - Neri Sottoli (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Italian national champion Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) has recovered from the flu virus that stopped him riding Wednesday's Brabantse Pijl and has confirmed he will ride Sunday' Amstel Gold Race.

The Sicilian classics rider is considered one of the outsiders for the race, having both the climbing ability and finishing speed to take on favourite Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto).

"Giovanni is recovering well and we hope that he'll continue to improve between now and Sunday. If he doesn't have a set back then he'll be able to race," team doctor Daniele Tarsi said in a statement issued by the team.

"He wont be at 100% because these two days of illness have weakened him a little bit, but Giovanni is getting better and he should be on good form."

Visconti will lead the Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli team, with support from Davide Ricci Bitti, Gianluca Mirenda, Leonardo Giordani, Elia Favilli, Luca Mazzanti, Diego Caccia and Francesco Failli.

Directeur sportif Luca Scinto promised the team would race aggressively.

"We won't watch on from the sidelines. As we did in the major Italian classics, we'll show what we can do in the North and make a good impression," Scinto said.

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Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.