Team BikeExchange-Jayco will continue their hunt for success on Italian soil as the line-up for Per Sempre Alfredo on Sunday and the five-day stage race Coppi e Bartali, starting on Tuesday.
Youngster Kevin Colleoni will be keen to continue his early season form after narrowly missing out on a top-10 finish overall in 2021 at Coppi e Bartali, while fellow Italian Matteo Sobrero will look for a strong performance on home roads.
Experienced Estonian Tanel Kangert will make his comeback to racing after injury alongside Amund Grøndahl Jansen, who will also continue his own return to racing. Fast finisher Dion Smith will give the team options in the sprint finishes, with Dutchman Jan Maas also in action. Australian veteran Cameron Meyer will skip Sunday’s one-day race before joining up with the team again for the start of Coppi e Bartali.
Team BikeExchange-Jayco Line-Up:
Kevin Colleoni (ITA)
Amund Grøndahl Jansen (NOR)
Tanel Kangert (EST)
Jan Maas (NED)
Cameron Meyer (AUS) *Coppi e Bartali Only
Matteo Sobrero (ITA)
Dion Smith (NZL)
Kevin Colleoni:
“I return to Coppi e Bartali looking to achieve a good result in general classification and in the more demanding stages. After competing in the Tour of Oman, I was altitude for ten days in Etna in Sicily, and I think I have reached a good condition for the next races.
I studied the course, expecting a challenging and particularly selective race. The San Marino stage will be important for the final classification, but it is not the only one. In addition to the many climbs, the other unknown factor will be the weather: if it gets cold and it rains, the race will become even more difficult.”
David McPartland (Sport Director):
“For both Per Sempre Alfredo and Coppi e Bartali we have a very diverse team starting with Dion Smith for the stages where they come down to a group finish, then we have Colleoni and Sobrero for the stages that are more selective. In general, the rest of the team are made up of guys who will support the leaders or even they may get their chance if in a favourable situation.
Per Sempre Alfredo is a relatively new race that we have never done before, it’s considerably harder than the inaugural edition, so it is likely to be quite selective, we just need to see how selective. Coppi e Bartali is a solid little five-day tour that has a bit of everything. In short, it is also quite selective each day and the parcours suits those who are aggressive.”
2022 Per Sempre Alfredo – Race Details:
Sunday, 20th March: Firenze – Sesto Fiorentino, 172km
2022 Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali – Race Details:
Tuesday, 22nd March: Stage 1, Riccione – Riccione, 164km
Wednesday, 23rd March: Stage 2, Riccione – Longiano, 165km
Tuesday, 24th March: Stage 3, San Marino – San Marino, 147km
Friday, 25th March: Stage 4, Montecatini – Montecatini, 158km
Saturday, 26th March: Stage 5, Casalguidi – Cantagrillo, 160km
