Bardiani-CSF head to the Giro d'Italia with a young squad and a clear goal

For the team's 44th appearance at the race, Bardiani-CSF have opted for youth. The squad announcement itself and comments of general manager Bruno Reverberi make it clear that the Italian team has one thing on its mind. "The Giro d'Italia is always an important event for us. We come with a young team that is itching to shine."

"We will try to be present in breakaways and seize opportunities, especially in the more open stages," the team boss continued. "We go to the Giro to win a stage. We have young, promising riders and riders who already know the race — we will need to make the most of every situation."

The Italian team singles out Vicente Rojas as a key name to follow. The Chilean became his country's national road champion earlier this year. Also in the spotlight according to his own team: Martin Marcellusi, who finished sixth in last year's penultimate stage to Sestrière.

The squad also includes some genuinely young riders — among them Luca Paletti, born in 2004, who recently finished third in a stage of the Tour of the Alps. He and Filippo Turconi will both be making their Giro d'Italia debut. But it is not all youth: Manuele Tarozzi brings experience to the squad. The Italian won last year's Red Bull Kilometre classification after spending a total of more than 500 kilometres in the attack.

Also worth watching is Nikita Tsvetkov, a young talent from Uzbekistan. In the sprints, the Italian team will turn to Enrico Zanoncello. Completing the eight-man selection is Filippo Magli — a rider who has already ridden the Giro twice and won the Muur Classic Geraardsbergen in 2023.