Giant-Alpecin and Lampre-Merida announce Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian squads

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WorldTour teams Giant-Alpecin and Lampre-Merida have announced their squads for the 2016 Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian this coming weekend. Warren Barguil will lead the German Giant-Alpecin team with the Frenchman aiming to better his ninth place from 2015.

"As usual we expect a very difficult race at the Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian. In this year's edition there is a new finale of 16km which includes a steep climb. On Friday we will do a recon so we will know what to expect," coach Arthur van Dongen said.

Barguil enters the one-day race off the back of the Tour de France where he finished 23rd on his second appearance. The team will also have cards to play with Laurens ten Dam and Sam Oomen.

"We will concentrate our efforts around Warren and aim to bring him as fresh as possible to the finale. In addition Laurens and Sam will have a vital role in supporting him throughout the race and with good teamwork we can achieve a top 10 result," added van Dongen.

For Lampre-Merida, Diego Ulissi will be its main card with the Italian making his first appearance since 2012 and second in his career. Ulissi was tenth back in 2012 and will have the support of the team to achieve a high result.

"Dedication and concentration are the primary conditions for being competitive in both the races," sports director Marco Marzano said. "The Clasica San Sebastian is one of the most demanding one day races in the World Tour circuit, the course could be suitable for Ulissi, however we're aware that the plot of this race is often varying, so we must be ready to support Diego in every situation.

"In our line-up there will be versatile riders who can both joining the breakaways or working in help of the captain."

Manuele Mori and Przemyslaw Niemiec are the only other riders in the line up who have finished the race while neo-pro Simone Petilli is the sole Lampre-Merida debutant for 2016.

The 36th edition of Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian takes place Saturday, July 30.

Giant Alpecin for Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian: Warren Barguil, Laurens ten Dam, Johannes Fröhlinger, Chad Haga, Tobias Ludvigsson, Sam Oomen, Sindre Skjøstad Lunke and Zico Waeytens.

Lampre-Merida for Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian: Matteo Bono, Mario Costa, Ilia Koshevoy, Manuele Mori, Przemyslaw Niemiec, Simone Petilli, Luka Pibernik and Diego Ulissi.