The team holds up the Forza l'Aquila shirt (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
F1 driver Jarno Trulli with Stefano Garzelli.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Stefano Garzelli shows the new team kit.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Riders confer during the team presentation.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The 2010 Acqua e Sapone team(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The team is presented with the 'Forza l'Aquila' shirt.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Stefano Garzelli in the 2010 Acqua e Sapone kit(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Riders get together before the start of the ride.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Simone Masciarelli(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Cayetano Sarmiento(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Giuseppe Palumbo(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Francesco Masciarelli(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Didac Ortega(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Luca Paolini(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Vladimir Miholjevic(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Ruggero Marzoli(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Luca Pierfelici(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Andrea Masciarelli(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Luca Paolini(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Riders prepare for a spin through the earthquake damaged city.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Dario Andriotto(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Massimo Donati(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Reinier Honig(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Massimo Codol(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Paolo Ciavatta(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Francesco Failli(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Acqua e Sapone team held its official presentation in L’Aquila on Sunday, the central Italian town devastated by a major earthquake in the spring on 2009.
Acqua e Sapone is the only team based in the Abruzzo region and will have a special ‘Forza L’Aquila’ logo on the 2010 jersey in support of an association formed by well-known athletes from the region, including Formula 1 driver Jarno Trulli. The non-profit 'Forza l'Aquila' association aims to raise enough funds to build a new sports complex in the much damaged city.
The Acqua e Sapone team is again a Professional Continental team in 2010 and is hoping for a ride in the Giro d’Italia. Stage 11 of this year’s Giro d’Italia will finish in L’Aquila on May 19.
The team line-up is largely unchanged with veteran Stefano Garzelli the stage race leader and Luca Paolini the protected rider for the sprints and one-day races.
Garzelli was second in last year’s Tirreno-Adriatico and was seventh overall in the Giro, while Paolini was part of the Italian team at the world championships.
New riders for 2010 include Rafaâ Chtioui from Tunisia, who was second in the 2004 junior world road race championships, Reiner Honig, who arrives from Vacansoleil, and former Liquigas domestique Vladimir Miholjevic. Perhaps the most pormising rider is Colombia’s Cayetano Sarmiento. He won the amateur Giro d’Italia stage race in 2009 and directeur sportif Franco Gini is convinced he has discovered the next great Colombian climber.
The team also includes Andrea, Francesco and Simone Masciarelli, who are all sons of team manager and former professional Palmiro Masciarelli. Francesco is a talented climber and finished 17th overall in the 2009 Giro d’Italia. He could win a stage and challenge for the climber’s jersey in this year’s race if the team is invited.
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Acqua e Sapone 2010 line-up:
Dario Andriotto Rafaâ Chtioui Paolo Ciavatta Massimo Codol Francesco Di Paolo Alessandro Donati Francesco Failli Alessandro Fantini Stefano Garzelli Reinier Honig Ruggero Marzoli Andrea Masciarelli Francesco Masciarelli Simone Masciarelli Vladimir Miholjevic Giuseppe Palumbo Luca Paolini Luca Pierfelici Jose Cayetano Sarmiento Tunarrosa
Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
