The BMC Racing Team of defending champion Philippe Gilbert and the RadioShack Nissan squad of 2010 winner Fabian Cancellara have both been included in the teams announced today for the 2012 Strade Bianche race. A small peloton of 112 riders will line out in the 1.1 event on March 3rd, with seven UCI ProTeams and seven UCI ProContinental teams being selected.
In addition to the BMC Racing Team and RadioShack Nissan, the other top ranked squads are Astana, Garmin-Barracuda, Lampre ISD, Liquigas Cannondale and Movistar, which will presumably include Italian champion Giovanni Visconti in its lineup.
The Pro Continental squads include three with strong Italian links, namely Acqua & Sapone, Farnese Vini and Colnago CSF Inox, as well as the new Colombia Coldeportes setup, the Dutch Project 1T4I team, Russian squad RusVelo and the American Team Type 1 – Sanofi.
Of the latter, Acqua & Sapone, Colnago CSF Inox, Farnese Vini – Neri and Team Type 1 have earned repeat invites from last year.
Only five editions of the race have been held thus far, but it has already assumed a prestige similar to that of big Classics. This is due in part to the distinctive roads and tracks of the region, which throw up huge crowds of dust in the dry, are slippery and technical in the wet, and always require an extra element of skill than more ‘regular’ races.
As part of its continuing evolution, the organisers RCS Sport has confirmed that the race will be broadcast live on television.
Today’s announcement comes just over two weeks after RCS Sport announced its wildcard teams for the Giro d’Italia, Milan Sanremo, Il Lombardia and Tirreno Adriatico.