Gianni Savio is busy putting the finishing touches to his Androni team for 2015 and has confirmed that Franco Pellizotti is set to stay with the squad next season.
Pellizotti, 36, is out of contract at the end of the season but still remains a competitive force, and finished third in the recent Giro dell'Emilia.
The Italian was 12th in this year’s Giro d’Italia and although his best results may be behind him, Savio believes that the veteran can lead the team next season.
“I think I’ll sign another couple of riders in the next week but Franco will be our leader next year,” Savio told Cyclingnews.
“He was second in the most important stage of the Giro this year on the Zoncolan and he has the credentials to be our leader once again. At the moment we have an agreement in place and it should be signed very soon.”
One rider that will not be joining Savio next season is Damiano Cunego. The Italian leaves a longstanding relationship at Lampre and drops down to the Pro Continental circuit. Although Savio admires Cunego as a rider he has decided to put all his GC eggs in one basket.
“I have a really good relationship with Cunego and I’m a big fan of him but in our team we have just one leader in that role and that’s Franco. In a medium sized team like ours it’s not possible to have more leaders.”
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Savio has up to sixteen spots on Androni for next season but may add to that in the coming weeks. It all depends on whether the team manager can add to the existing sponsorship portfolio.
"Andrea Zordan, a former U23 Italian champion, Gianfranco Zilioli, and Alessio Taliani are three young riders who will stay with us for next season, while Davide Appollonio moves across from AG2R."
“I can also confirm that Yonder Godoy, Jackson Rodriguez, Emanuele Sella are also among those that stay.
“My philosophy is to only sign riders once all the sponsors are in place. That means I’m starting with around 16 riders because that’s what my budget allows. That means I can’t confirm the future of and Kenny van Hummel. I’d really like to offer Kenny a contract for next year. The problem with him is also that there are not that many races in Italy that are totally flat and suited to his style of riding. So I’ve got to wait until more sponsors are confirmed before I can offer Kenny another contract.”
