Merida supply the team with bikes for 2013 (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre - Merida) has some treatment on the Lampre Merida team bus (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The European season might be well underway but that hasn't stopped the Lampre Merida team from holding a February training camp in Mallorca, Spain. The Italian team, lead by Damiano Cunego, Filippo Pozzato, Alessandro Petacchi and Michele Scarponi this year, will be looking to perform on a number of fronts.
Both Pozzato and Scarponi are returning from suspensions relating to their working relationships with Michele Ferrari. They hope to help the team forget a poor 2012 season which held just 7 victories.
Pressure will be on Cunego and Pozzato to rediscover their individual classics form, while Petacchi will be looking to prove to everyone that he's not passed his sell-by date. As for Scarponi, the 2011 Giro winner will go head-to-head with Vincenzo Nibali and Bradley Wiggins in this year's race.
New signings not only include Pozzato, with Roberto Ferrari and Jose Serpa both joining the team. The team headed to Mallorca this week for some extra training and their team presentation, before the real season objectives begin.
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