The Area Zero Pro Team has officially announced the names of the 8 riders who will participate in the GP Costa degli Entruschi in Donoratico (Livorno) on Sunday, February 2nd. The race will mark the debut for the new, all-Italian continental formation. The riders are: Paolo Ciavatta, Fabio Chinello, Silvio Giorni, Gianluca Mengardo, Andrea Pasqualon, Simone Petilli, Marco Tecchio and Stefano Tonin. Sports directors Massimo Codol and Andrea Tonti will be leading the squad from the team car.
“The riders were chosen whilst keeping in mind their current physical shape and the characteristics of the route. The training went really well; in the last few days we have ridden the race route several times, getting a good look at the most important points. The race will feature the same route for the pre-world cup that took place in Donoratico last year, so this year’s GP Costa Etruschi will be harder compared to past editions,” explains Massimo Codol, who knows these Tuscan roads very well and who will be taking on the role of D.S. for the first time this year after his long and brilliant cycling career.
“The decisive part is going to be the final circuit, which has a climb of about 3km that features stretches with inclines of up to 13%. This is definitely where the selection will take place; from the final downhill there are about 9km to go until the finish line. It will be hard for riders who have fallen behind to catch up, so I’m predicting a small bunch arrival with a close sprint. For our team this first race will especially be an occasion for our guys to gain some important experience. It is the first race of the year in Italy, there will be a lot of jostling and it won’t be easy for us.
Our two points of reference will be Ciavatta and Pasqualon, who will also be the squad directors since they both already have experience in pro racing, while for the other 6 this will be their very first time in the big leagues.”
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.