As the build-up to the Giro d’Italia continues, the Androni Giocattoli squad has announced that it will sport a resigned jersey at the race due to the addition of a new sponsor.
CIPI (Costruzione Impianti Petrolchimici Industriali) has come on board to provide additional backing for the team. It is an engineering company which specializes in the assembly and maintenance of pipelines and industrial plants, and its name will appear as part of the team title henceforth.
The Pro Continental team regularly punches above its weight and is expected to play a big part in the Giro d’Italia, thanks to riders such as Jose Serpa, José Rujano, and the sprinter Roberto Ferrari.
It has clocked up several wins this season, with the most recent being at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali. The squad won the team time trial, then Emanuele Sella took a stage win plus the overall classification. Prior to that, it clocked up three stage victories in the Tour de San Luis, one plus the overall classification in the Tour de Langkawi and the Giro del Friuli.
The Androni Giocattoli-CIPI team is targeting the maglia rosa in the Giro d’Italia, which begins with a 21.5 kilometre team time trial Venaria Reale to Torino on Saturday May 7th.
Many will be keen to see how Rujano can fare. Six years ago he stunned in his debut performance, winning at Sestrière, taking both the King of the Mountains and Combativity competitions and finishing third overall. He hasn’t built on that start in the subsequent years, but general manager Gianni Savio said he is confident that he can rediscovery his best form.
Rujano has had a quiet season thus far but last weekend finished a solid 14th overall in the Settimana Coppi e Bartali. It’s a sign that his form is on the up and with over a month to go to the Giro, hard work on his part could put him in the frame.