Baldato to debut as directeur sportif

Former professional Fabio Baldato will make his debut as a directeur sportif when the Giro di Sardegna begins tomorrow. The Italian stalwart retired last year after 17 years in the professional peloton.

Baldato claimed his final victories as a professional in 2007, when he won the opening stages of both Österreich-Rundfahrt and Tour de Pologne. He started his professional career in 1991 with the Del Tongo - MG squad and rode for the MG Maglificio and Fassa Bortolo teams for much of his career.

The 40-year-old remained with the Lampre squad, albeit as a directeur sportif. With World Champion Alessandro Ballan in the ranks of his squad for the race, he may be calling the shots near the head of the field.

Lampre's squad for the Giro di Sardegna: Alessandro Ballan, Marco Bandiera, Matteo Bono, Mauro Da Dalto, Enrico Gasparotto, Mirco Lorenzetto, Paolo Tiralongo and Volodymyr Zagorodny.