Team Liquigas-Bianchi presentation

A mean green ProTour machine ready to rock

By Tim Maloney, European Editor in Milano

In a fun, show-bizzy team presentation with top riders riding their bikes on stage through the smoke, the big reveal for the mean green ProTour machine of Team Liquigas-Bianchi happened Milano's East End Studios Tuesday evening, with the return of Mario Cipollini as the highlight. A fit looking Cipo shared the stage with the other key men at Liquigas, Giro hopeful Stefano Garzelli and Danilo Di Luca, who is looking for a big comeback year in 2005. The show was hosted by Italian TV sports personality and former track star Giacomo Crosa, who asked Liquigas boss Paolo del Lago up front why the Italian energy giant has returned to cycling.

"We have been sponsor of the Italian national team jersey for a few years and have a national mountain bike series (Liquigas Cup) but when we heard about the ProTour, we thought that it was a good idea. This is something new in cycling, a situation where all the ProTour teams have the same objective. It's an ideal situation for us."

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