17/08/2012

Basso, Nibali and Moser: three aces for Colorado
Liquigas-Cannondale set to compete in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge with US national champion Duggan



With three stars of the calibre of Ivan Basso, Vincenzo Nibali and Moreno Moser, Liquigas-Cannondale is ready to tackle the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, which starts on Monday, 20th August, in Colorado. The green and blue team is one of the best equipped to handle the American seven stage race and its distinctively demanding parcours. US national champion Timmy Duggan, who was born in Boulder (the finish for stage six), Colorado, is another serious contender for the climbs, as are Valerio Agnoli and Damiano Caruso, and they are all racing fit following the recent Tour of Utah. Liquigas-Cannondale’s second American rider Ted King and Paolo Longo Borghini complete the line-up of rouleurs. Finally, Stefano Zanatta will be in charge of DS duties.



Basso and Nibali make their official return to the squad after their experience at the Tour de France. Following a period of well-earned rest, the two captains are ready to get back on the road and lead the team. «I’ve got some great memories of last year’s experience, and I’m happy to be back here again, » said Basso. «I aim to take the race a day at a time: although I’ve recovered from the exertion of the Tour, I’m still lack a bit of racing rhythm. Nevertheless I’m still determined to make my mark and also support my teammates. We’ve got a competitive team and can definitely do this race justice. »



Nibali can’t wait to get racing again, «The Tour gave me great satisfaction but my season didn’t finish in Paris. I expect to have a big end to the season and want to achieve major new goals. The Colorado is the right race for getting back into the swing of competitive riding. This is my first race for a while so I’m not making any predictions, but I’m certainly not here just to go for a spin: it’s a difficult parcours and I love new challenges. »



Moser, the young rider who has already won a short stage race, the Tour de Pologne, is ready to produce more amazing performances, «The race looks tough but interesting on paper. I’m in good condition: I trained in the mountains at Passo San Pellegrino with the team after the Tour of Poland to fine-tune my legs. I plan to be successful here as well. It’s been an incredible season so far, and I don’t intend to stop yet. I’ll try to exploit every possible opportunity I get. »