ISD-Neri's leader for Milan-Sanremo, Giovonni Visconti, had to take an early exit from Tirreno-Adriatico earlier this week due to physical problems. The former Italian national champion was forced to abandon during the mountainous stage six, with the team sending him straight to a specialist for treatment. Now the team says he's doing better and will be ready to contest la Primavera this weekend.
"Giovanni had pain in his left leg due to a group of muscles which tend to shrink and create an imbalance in posture. This made the pelvis rotate and Giovanni ended up riding with improper postural balance," explained his osteopath Dr. Carretta.
The Italian press had intitally stated that it was a problem with Visconti's equipment, but the team wanted to clarify that the reports were false. They said their sprinter has a history with the injury, and it surfaces more commonly during his winter training. The cold and rainy weather in Tirreno-Adriatico this week being the likely culprit.
This Saturday's event is one of the most important on the calendar for an Italian team, second only to the country's Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia, in prestige. Visconti will take the start riding a bike bearing the name of 2002 Milan-Sanremo winner Mario Cipollini, one of the greatest sprinters cycling has known. It will be interesting to see what the "Lion King", who is also an adviser to the team, thinks the best approach will be for a good result.