Andrea Tafi says he's found a "great team" for Paris-Roubaix return at age 52

Andrea Tafi, the last Italian to win Paris-Roubaix, says he has found “a great team” as he aims to take part in the race next year, on the 20th anniversary of his victory.

The 52-year-old, who retired in 2005, revealed his ambitions last month of returning to the scene of one of the crowning moments of a career in which he won two other Monuments, the Tour of Flanders and the Tour of Lombardy.

He said he had already approached the UCI regarding inclusion in the anti-doping testing pool, which is required for six months before racing, and that he was looking to ride for a Professional Continental team.

Those discussions appear to have borne fruit, according to a report in the Belgian newspaper, Het Laatste Nieuws.

“Everyone says I’m mad,” said Tafi, “but I don’t think so. I’m following my heart. I know how difficult it will be, but I also want to see what my limits are.

“I’m not setting a target in terms of result, I want to train and see what can come out of that.

“The coming months will be hard, but it’s something I absolutely want to do.

“It’s something no-one has ever done in cycling.

“I’ve found a great team but unfortunately I can’t yet say which one.”

Besides the 18WorldTour teams which automatically gain entry to the race due to their status, organisers ASO issue wild card invitations to a number of Professional Continental teams.

Tafi, who has ridden Paris-Roubaix 13 times to date and bedsides his 1999 victory also has second- and third-placed finishes to his name said last month that he head spoken to contacts in Italy and Belgium about securing a team.

Given that two of the seven wild cards for this year’s race went to Belgian teams – Verandas Willems-Crelan and WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic – with the rest going to French outfits, that may help somewhat with trying to second-guess their identity.