Italian wine makers Farnese Vini have decided to stay within the sport of cycling and have followed Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi over to the now Lampre-Farnese Vini ProTour squad.
“I’m sure that the cycling fans will soon be accustom to the new name Lampre-Farnese Vini,” commented team general manager Giuseppe Saronni.
Earlier this year the LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini team was rocked by team leader Danilo Di Luca’s positive test for EPO. The doping scandal hit at the core of Italian cycling, coming on the heels of Di Luca’s second place finish in the country’s Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia.
As cycling works towards cleaning up its act, continued support from companies such as Farnese Vini is a welcome sign during this tough transition.
“Having our brand connected to a ProTour team like Lampre is a good vehicle to promote the image of our firm since we export our products to 67 countries,” explained owner Valentino Sciotti. “Cycling [sponsorship] has a depth of [market] penetration that few other sports can boast. We have found in Lampre very serious managers and sponsors that share with us a great passion for this sport.”
The sponsor’s connection with Petacchi at LPR Brakes could very well have been the negotiating factor that ensured the Italian a dedicated leadout team for the 2010 season. He will look to dethrone Colombia-HTC’s Mark Cavendish who has shown no equal in the sprints.
Petacchi beat Cavendish once this season at the Giro d’Italia, but it was the evergreen sprinter’s experience that saw him win the day. Petacchi will look to capitalize on key losses in Columbia-HTC’s leadout next season, and try to turn the tables with the Italian-style train that has worked so well for him in the past.