World champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) shares a word with Angelo Zomegnan. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Giro d'Italia organisers RCS Sport announced today the names of 22 teams which will participate in this year's opening Grand Tour. 15 ProTour teams and seven wild cards from the Professional Continental ranks will contest the three-week race which begins in Amsterdam on May 8.
The BMC team of World Champion Cadel Evans earned a spot, as Evans has been open about wanting to race the Giro to win it. Also in from the Professional Continental ranks is the Cervelo team of Carlos Sastre, the French teams Bbox Bouygues Telecom and Cofidis, as well as Italian teams Acqua & Sapone, Androni Giocattoli and Colnago-CSF Inox.
Not on the list are ProTour teams Francaise des Jeux and Euskaltel-Euskadi, as well as Italian Professional Continental teams De Rosa-Stac Plastic, Carmiooro NGC, ISD-Neri, and the team of Riccardo Riccò, Ceramica Flaminia. Skil-Shimano and Vacansoleil also applied for an invite but did not make the cut. As a result, the Rabobank team of defending champion Denis Menchov will be the only Dutch squad on the start line in Amsterdam.
As announced this weekend, the event will go off without Lance Armstrong's RadioShack team, with the squad opting to send its top riders to the Tour of California. Armstrong also soured his relationship with the race director Angelo Zomegnan by helping to lead a protest of the Giro's circuit race in Milan last year.
Teams for the 2010 Giro d'Italia
ProTour
Ag2R-La Mondiale Astana Caisse d'Epargne Footon-Servetto Garmin-Transitions HTC-Columbia Katusha Lampre Farnese Vini Liquigas-Doimo Milram Omega Pharma-Lotto Quick Step Rabobank Saxo Bank Sky Pro Cycling Team
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Professional Continental
Acqua & Sapone Androni-Diquigiovanni Bbox Bouygues Telecom BMC Racing Team Cervelo TestTeam Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne Colnago-CSF Inox
