News shorts: BMC announce Flèche Wallonne team
Cunego to Giro del Trentino, five WorldTour teams for Tour of Norway
BMC announce La Flèche Wallonne team
2011 La Flèche Wallonne champion Philippe Gilbert will lead BMC at the mid-week Ardennes classic fresh from finishing tenth at Amstel Gold Race on Sunday. Gilbert was the first rider over the Cauberg at Amstel but unlike 2014, was unable to solo to victory. Since his victory, Gilbert has placed third, 15th and tenth at La Flèche Wallonne which finishes with the sharp 1.3km Mur de Huy climb.
Support for Gilbert comes in form of 2006 runner-up Samuel Sánchez, the in-form Ben Hermans, Amaël Moinard, Brent Bookwalter, Dylan Teuns and Danilo Wyss. Tejay van Garderen has also been selected but with the Mur de Huy featuring on stage four of the Tour de France, the American will be racing with with one eye on July.
After a long classics campaign, Greg Van Avermaet, Marcus Burghardt and Silvan Dillier all take a break from racing.
BMC for La Flèche Wallonne: Brent Bookwalter, Philippe Gilbert, Ben Hermans, Amaël Moinard, Samuel Sánchez, Dylan Teuns, Tejay van Garderen and Danilo Wyss.
Cunego headlines Nippo-Vini Fantini Giro del Trentino line up
Nippo - Vini Fantini will line up at the Giro del Trentino with three-time winner Damiano Cunego as its leader for the 2.HC four-stage race. Cunego, who won the race in 2004, 2006 and 2007 and last won a stage at the race in 2012, starts the race having placed 40th at Amstel Gold Race. The 33-year-old and his teammates will primarily use the race as key preperation for next month's Giro d'Italia according to sport director Stefano Giuliani.
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"It is a very important race where we can test us against top riders that will do also Giro d'Italia. The line-up is builded on the Giro del Trentino roads. Some riders are here to help us on the Team Time Trial and the others to test on the Trentino mountains," said Giuliani.
Also included in the Pro-Continental team's roster is Iuri Filosi, from Trentino, and Alessandro Bisolti who will also look to impress on the overall classification while the performances of Japanese riders Manabu Ishibashi and Genki Yamamoto will determine the make up of the Giro team.
Nippo-Vini Fantani for Giro del Trentino: Damiano Cunego, Giacomo Berlato, Alessandro Bisolti, Iuri Filosi, Riccardo Stacchiotti, Antonio Nibali, Manabu Ishibashi and Alessandro Malaguti.
Tour of Norway confirms 14 World and Pro-Continental teams for 2015
Tour of Flanders winner Alexander Kristoff and his Katusha team have been confirmed for the 2.HC Tour of Norway which will boast its best ever attendance in 2015 with 14 WorldTour and Pro-Continental teams signing on. A further seven Continental teams have also been confirmed for the May race with starts in Årnes.
Kristoff won two stages of the race last year, wore the first leader's jersey and claimed the points classification. A late attack on the final stage saw Maciej Paterski claim the biggest win of his career. Paterski's CCC Polsat Polkowice team return in 2015 with the Pole having raced aggressively in the last week with second at the Volta Limburg Classic and then ninth at both De Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race.
Last year the race had three WorldTour teams while in the two years before that there five (2013) and six (2012).
WorldTour team Orica-GreenEdge will make its second appearance at the race having made its debut in 2012 while Trek Factory Racing will make its debut.
Tour of Norway teams;
WorldTour teams
Team Katusha
Team Sky
Lotto Soudal
Tinkoff Saxo
Orica GreenEdge
Trek Factory Racing
Pro-Continental teams
MTN Qhubeka p.b. Samsung
Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise
Wanty - Groupe Gobert
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
Novo Nordisk
CCC Polsat Polkowice
Roompot Orange Cycling Team
Team Cult Energy
Continental teams
Team Tre-Berg
Riwal platform Cycling Team
Team Joker
Team Ringeriks - Kraft
Team Coop - Øster hus
Sparebanken Sør
Team Fixit.no
