Luxembourg pro team taking shape with four new signings

The Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project has gathered further momentum with the signing of several riders who, the team says, will have the strength to ensure it will be there at the business end of a day’s racing, with enough fire power to come out on top.

The Italian fast-finisher Daniele Bennati has joined compatriots Davide Viganò and  Giacomo Nizzolo as well as Portuguese strongman Bruno Pires.

Happy to be able to include a top flight sprinter among their ranks, the
Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project believes Bennati will help the team hit the ground running at the beginning of next season.

“Bennati is such a classy rider and we are very happy to have him,” General Manager Brian Nygaard explained. “He is really passionate about our project and I’m sure he’ll be a significant addition to our line-up. He has won many impressive victories, but I actually don’t think we have seen his best yet. I see him flourishing in the right environment and I believe we can provide that for him.”

Bennati was one of the first riders to show an interest in the new team, and
wants to have an immediate impact in 2011.

“My objectives for the coming season are to get off to a good start from the first and try to make the most of Tirreno-Adriatico in order to be supremely prepared for the Milan-San Remo,” Bennati explained. “The team will be shooting to do well in the Classics and the Grand Tours. We have a strong group of riders who are the right age to start securing some major victories, and I want to be right in there providing the best support to the team that I possibly can.”

The management sees Bennati as more than just a pure sprinter. “He’s an A-list sprinter, there is no question about that, but he was also one of the last guys with Nibali on the climbs in the Vuelta this year,” said Nygaard. “So I’m sure he will be ready and a huge asset to the team in more than just the bunch sprints. I see him as a very versatile athlete.”

Davide Viganò has also expressed his enthusiasm for the project. “I was immediately interested in joining this team because from the beginning I could see the professionalism and seriousness of the people setting it up,” Viganò explained. “I really want to add value and show my quality in racing during the cobbled classics, but most importantly, I want to demonstrate that I am a solid and reliable team player, and help make it the best group out there.”

The management sees him as a valuable addition to their core of sprinters. “Davide is the leadout man and without question one of the best in the business at it,” Nygaard said. “He is an expert at lining up the sprints and will pave the way for the team in those situations. He is a really likable guy with a perfect personality for our team.”

When  road.cc spoke to the Schleck brothers at the Tour de France launch in Paris this week they remained tight-lipped about who their prospective team mates would be for the 2011 season, saying only that they would be part of a strong team. There is as yet no news of a headline sponsor for the new outfit but clearly, behind the scenes, the team is forging ahead.