The green-blue team presents the first chapter on 12th January

In 2012 Liquigas-Cannondale aims to bring you a season of passion, sweat and tears through pictures and sound. All will be revealed at the official team presentation on Thursday, 12th January, when the team previews the first chapter of “LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE, OUR STORY”, a video project specially created to give fans and followers an exclusive insight into life with the team. 

Don’t miss “THE GREEN-BLUE JERSEY”, the first video diary for the 2012 season, when it goes online at www.teamliquigascannondale.com and via major social networks (YouTube, Facebook and Twitter) on Thursday. Another six video updates are due to be released throughout the race season featuring the lowdown on some of the key moments in 2012, including the team’s training camp, the Milano-Sanremo, the Paris-Roubaix, the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the Giro di Lombardia.

First races of 2012 in Australia and Argentina. Training camp in Toscana for the rest of the team

Only few days divide the Liquigas-Cannondale to the official start of the new season. On Thursday 12th the team will be presented to press and sponsors, unveiling the 2012 restyling of the traditional green and blue kit and presenting races programs. The event will take place in Milan at the Italian HQ of Citroën, new partner of the team.

The season debut “on the road” will be in Australia: on 15th Liquigas-Cannondale will race the Down Under Classic, opening kermesse of the Tour Down Under (from 17th to 22nd). Green and blue lineup, that yesterday started the long transfer to Adelaide, will be composed by Stefano Agostini, Federico Canuti, Mauro Da Dalto, Kristijan Koren, Alan Marangoni, Daniele Ratto and Fabio Sabatini. The team will be leaded by DS Biagio Conte.

In concomitance with the Australian transfer Liquigas-Cannondale will be also in Argentina for the Tour de San Luis (7 stages, from January 23rd to 29th) where Vincenzo Nibali and Elia Viviani will make their own debut. Other four riders have been selected: Tiziano Dall’Antonia, Timmy Duggan, Ted King and Josè Sarmiento. Mario Scirea will be the team director.

After Passo San Pellegrino and Sardegna, a new training camp has been organised in Toscana from 13th to 21st January for all the riders not competing in Australia and Argentina.

New team partnership: the French car manufacturer will supply team vehicles for 2012

2012 kicks off with some important news for Liquigas-Cannondale. The fleet of cars following the green-blue team throughout their races will be made by Citroën this season. The French manufacturer is one of the world’s most popular car makers and has agreed to supply ten CITROËN C5 Tourer as race cars, two CITROËN Jumpy Atlante for transporting the team, and two CITROËN C-Crosser as official team cars.

The new Citroën vehicles sporting the traditional Liquigas-Cannondale colours will make their season debut on 4th February at the Gran Premio Costa degli Etruschi in Tuscany, and continue to be used for all European races.

«We cover thousands and thousands of miles with our cars every year, » said Liquigas-Cannondale team manager Roberto Amadio, «It’s absolutely essential to know we can count on reliable, comfortable cars and this is guaranteed by the very high quality of Citroën vehicles. Furthermore, Citroën has chosen our team as a testimonial and this is a very important recognition of our public image and our ability to increase the visibility of a brand, which is why we are very pleased with and extremely proud of the new partnership. »

«We’re proud to be starting this new sporting experience in cycling by offering our vehicles to an international team like Liquigas-Cannondale. Citroën is a bold, creative brand that has played an active role in the world of sport for years, and been involved in different disciplines, including rally driving, football and basketball, and achieved excellent results. With cycling we’re embarking on a new adventure that fits in well with the spirit of our company, which has always welcomed new challenges. We’ll ensure that the Liquigas-Cannondale team can depend on the best of Citroën technology next season, so they can enjoy the ultimate in comfort and safety when tackling the long journeys between stages during their races. For example, our cars will be equipped with the Citroën eTouch service, which provides assistance 360 days a year in every European country, and the hydractive suspension on the CITROËN C5 offers pure “Créative Technologie” to ensure a perfect balance of comfort and road holding. » said Massimo Borio, the Marketing and Communication Director for Citroën Italia.

The partnership between Liquigas-Cannondale and Citroën will be sealed on 12th January with the official team presentation at the Italian HQ at Via Gattamelata 41 in Milan.