Tour of Utah (12-18 August), Vuelta a Burgos (13-17 August) and Czech Cycling Tour (15-18 August). 3 international appointments open the second part of the season for the #OrangeBlue team. 15 riders engaged in the hunt for successes to which they are added the Italian stagiaire Filippo Fiorelli, and the two Japanese stagiaire Masahiro Ishigami and Keigo Kusaba.
The second part of the season starts with the races for the NIPPO Vini Fantini Faizanè team. In the central week of August, from 12 to 18, the #OrangeBlueteam will look for important results and confirmations in America, Spain and the Czech Republic. 3 well-balanced line up to face the pitfalls of each stage race, 4 sports directors at the helm of the teams, 15 committed riders plus 3 stagiaire ready to stand out with the professional team.
TOUR OF UTAH | 12 – 18 AUGUST
7 mixed stages, opened by the usual initial prologue, make up the route of the Tour of Utah 2019. From Snowbird Resort to Park City, the Italian-Japanese team will have the opportunity to become protagonist in one or more fractions thanks to the composition of the team involved in the American tour.
Marco Canola, already victorious in Salt Lake City in 2017 and a great connoisseur of American roads, leads the #OrangeBlue motivated to be once again the protagonist on the streets that have been his home for two years. At his side Ivan Santaromita, in strong growth ahead of the races of the second half of the season, and Sho Hatsuyama ready to become protagonist again after the Giro d’Italia. Filippo Zaccanti is aiming for the general classification, while the sprinter Giovanni Lonardi, already at 2 in his first season as a professional, won the stage victory. Filippo Fiorelli, born in 1994, completes the roster as a stagiaire. Already winner of the Tour of Albania, he has the possibilities to be protagonist for the first time wearing orangeblue jersey.
The sport directors Mario Manzoni lead the team. Here the words of DS looking forward to the race: “We are aiming for stage victory with our leader Marco Canola. He is in a good physical condition, he knows these roads well and there are stages designed for his characteristics. Giovanni Lonardi, Ivan Santaromita and Sho Hatsuyama will be his shoulder to achieve this result. Filippo Zaccanti will instead be the protagonist in the most demanding stages of the Tour. Filippo Fiorelli will be our stagiaire. He has a very interesting story and, given the satisfaction that is already taking off, it was right to reward him and try to launch him in a future in professional cycling “.
Line-up: Marco Canola, Ivan Santaromita, Filippo Zaccanti, Sho Hatsuyama, Giovanni Lonardi e Filippo Fiorelli.
Sport director: Mario Manzoni.
Follow the Tour of Utah live on Eurosport 1.
VUELTA A BURGOS | 13 – 17 AUGUST
The appointment with the Vuelta a Burgos is back, the Spanish stage race that precedes the Vuelta of Spain. 5 stages characterized by fast arrivals and uphill finals. Leading the formation #OrangeBlue will be the Spanish Juan Josè Lobato, who is aiming for stage success in his homeland. He will be joined by the other Spanish Joan Bou, who started his NIPPO Vini Fantini Faizanè jersey career at the Vuelta a Burgos, and the young Imerio Cima and Alejandro Osorio, this one will try to become the protagonist in the stages with arrivals for climbers. The team is completed by Hiroki Nishimura and the 1997 class stagiaire Masahiro Ishigami. Winner of the Japanese under 23 national championships in 2018, the young Japanese has the opportunity to stand out with the Italian-Japanese line-up starting from the Spanish tour.
Alessandro Donati, supported by Stefano Garzelli, will lead the #OrangeBlue team in search of prestigious results. These are the words with which the DS comments the tour: “In 2018 we went close several times to the stage success in this race. We will try to improve and achieve important results with Juan Josè Lobato and Imerio Cima in the stages with fast arrivals. Osorio and Joan Bou will instead be our spearheads in the stages with uphill arrivals. Hiroki Nishimura will try to make himself protagonist in the stage escapes as well as Masahiro Ishigami, a stagiaire at his first test with our #OrangeBlue jersey. “
Line up: Juan Josè Lobato, Joan Bou, Alejandro Osorio, Imerio Cima, Hiroki Nishimura e Masahiro Ishigami.
Sport directors: Alessandro Donati e Stefano Garzelli.
CZECH CYCLING TOUR | 15 – 18 August
Starts with the team time trial and continues with 3 mix stages the Czech Cycling Tour 2019, the stage race that crosses the Czech Republic. Leading the line-up is Damiano Cima, fresh winner of a stage at the Giro d’Italia is motivated to achieve success also in the second part of the season, and Hideto Nakane, leader in the mountain stages. Alongside the two leaders, the young Colombian Ruben Acosta and the Japanese Hayato Yoshida for the sprint races and Masakazu Ito for the mixed ones. The 1996 stagiaire Keigo Kusaba completes the roster, who will have the opportunity to stand out on the tour.
Leading the team from the team car is Valerio Tebaldi, who comments with these words the Czech Cycling Tour: “It is a high-level stage race and we will give our best to get a stage success and why not aim for an excellent placement in the general classification. Damiano Cima and Hayato Yoshida will be our fast wheels, while Hideto Nakane, Masakazu Ito and Ruben Acosta will try to be protagonists in the mountain stages. A great opportunity will also be played by the stagiaire Keigo Kusaba, who will try to be protagonist looking forward the next season. “
Line up: Damiano Cima, Hideto Nakane, Ruben Acosta, Masakazu Ito, Hayato Yoshida e Keigo Kusaba.
Sport director: Valerio Tebaldi.