Fotoreporter Sirotti
Each year, Pavé previews the upcoming road season with a countdown of the top-20 teams in the sport. Today we picked things up with #13—here’s #12.
#12 – Lampre-ISD
Lampre finished 2010 as one of the sport’s most underrated teams. But with the majority of the team’s wins coming thanks to Alessandro Petacchi—a rider long-suspected of having doped to obtain them—it’s easy to see why.
But let’s do one better than CONI and take Petacchi out of the equation—there’s still a lot of talent here. Even better, much of it is still under the age of 26. (The team’s average age is only 29—and that’s with two 36-year-olds on the squad.)
Of Lampre’s young stars, Francesco Gavazzi, Grega Bole, Simon Spilak, and Diego Ulissi are the four names you should get used to hearing. Gavazzi won a stage at Pais Vasco last year as well as the Coppa Agostoni. A classics rider in the making, he’s someone who could win Milan-San Remo from a group and Fleche Wallonne on the Mur de Huy. He doesn’t seem to enjoy the cobbles, but should he develop in a fashion similar to Philippe Gilbert, the hillier of those races could enter into his repertoire.
Grega Bole really came on last summer, winning a stage at the Dauphiné before becoming a critical member of Petacchi’s lead-out in the Tour. With several top finishes on his 2010 resume stretching from Paris-Nice all the way to Worlds, the 25-year-old Slovenian is one to watch this spring. As for Spilak, he actually won last year’s Tour of Romandie after the disqualification of Alejandro Valverde. It’s a shame really—at 24-years of age he might have received more credit for finishing second than he did for assuming the win after Valverde’s DQ.
Finally we have Ulissi, a 21-year-old who took his first professional win at the GP Industria & Commercio di Prato last September. Wisely used sparingly by Lampre last season, Ulissi will get more chances to compete in some of the Wolrds toughest races this season, perhaps getting his crack at a Grand Tour in the Giro.
But there’s more to Lampre-ISD than just young talent—at least General Manager Giuseppe Saronni hopes there is. All eyes will be on Damiano Cunego to see if the Italian can rebound from a disastrous 2010. He’s reportedly given-up his Grand Tour delusions for good now (although all bets are off by July), in favor of a concentrated focus on the Ardennes classics, Worlds (this year’s not the year though), Lombardia, and Grand Tour stage wins. Cunego’s not quite 30—a startling fact considering the length of his career up to now. If the Little Prince can rediscover the fitness that won him Amstel and Lombardia in 2008, Saronni will be a happy man.
Overall, Lampre-ISD is a surprisingly deep team that could be one of the best in the sport if its captains perform as expected. And if Petacchi manages to avoid suspension and win some races—that’s fine too!
Man of the Hour: Michele Scarponi comes to Lampre after a season in which he finished second in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Lombardy, and fourth in the Giro d’Italia. For an Italian squad, results like these are invaluable. With an impressive team supporting him and undisputed captaincy throughout the 3-week event, Scarponi should contend for a spot on the Giro’s final podium—especially on such a difficult parcours. He’s also someone to watch in the Ardennes—Fleche Wallonne is a race for which he’s perfectly suited—unless he rides for Cunego.
On the Hot Seat: Petacchi’s on the Hot Seat for obvious reasons—it’s looking more and more as if he’s about to be implicated in the latest round of Italian doping investigations.  As for Damiano Cunego, he just needs to regain his stride—a win in the Ardennes would be a terrific way to do it.
Up-and-Comer: Bole, Spilak, Ulessi—take your pick!
Best Pick-Up: Grand Tour podium contenders don’t fall from trees—even if they come with a bit of “baggage†(who doesn’t these days?). Michele Scarponi is a terrific pick-up for a team in need of a legitimate Grand Tour GC captain.
Biggest Loss: Mauro Da Dalto and Simone Ponzi didn’t light the world on fire, but they’re exactly the type of domestiques every team needs in order to win important races. Dedicated, resilient, and occasionally able to score a result of their own, Lampre’s loss is Liquigas’ gain.
And that’s it for #12.  Come back tomorrow for #11 as well as a preview of this weekend’s events.
