New sponsor, 16 riders for Gianetti

The former Saunier Duval manager Mauro Gianetti has succeeded where two other ProTour teams have failed: he has secured a new sponsor to fund his "new" ProTour squad for 2009. Gianetti was linked with the worldwide conglomerate TMC Transformers by La Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday.

Gianetti managed the Saunier Duval team until the sponsor withdrew after the team was forced to pull out of the Tour de France due to the doping positive of Riccardo Riccò. He secured American Beef and bike sponsor Scott as title sponsors for the remainder of the season, but Scott refused to continue through 2009.

Directeur Sportif Joxean Matxin said last month that the team had signed on a "multinational company" as well as a second sponsor from Mexico in order for the team to continue. His team succeeded where the Crédit Agricole and Gerolsteiner teams had failed.

The team reportedly has 16 riders signed: Jose Angel Gómez Marchante, Juan José Cobo, David De la Fuente, Josep Jufré (all Scott-American Beef), Alberto Ongarato (Milram) and Andrea Tonti (Quick Step) are some of the names cited by the Italian paper.