Cameron Wurf and Jack Haig and Thomas Hamilton joined Clarke when he put the hammer down(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
by Guoqiang SongTour of Hainan(Image credit: Cannondale Pro Cycling)
A disappointed Ted King (Cannondale) during the morning of stage 5 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Stephen Farrand)
Stephane Heulot congratulates Jean Marc Marino on his long breakaway(Image credit: Fabrice Lambert)
With the team leaders Peter Sagan and Ivan Basso preparing for the European races and the upcoming Classics season Cannondale Pro Cycling will also have a presence in Asia as with a maiden Tour de Taiwan appearance. Cannondale as a WorldTour team attended the Tour Down Under and then extended an Australian summer of racing at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour where Cameron Wurf placed third overall.
Team director Alberto Volpi has selected a multi-cultural squad for Taiwan with American Ted King, Canadian Guillaume Boivin, Australian Cameron Wurf, Italian Davide Formolo, and Jean-Marc Marino from France who will make his debut for the team having ridden for Sojasun last year.
King and Wurf are two experienced and key domestiques and will once again aim to carry their teammates as well as they can for the best possible outcome.
"I'm happy to support my team from the inside. Bringing the captains to victory means a lot for me. I'd love to have some opportunity to shine, and think this race is one of those moments. Opportunities like this don't come often," said Ted King who is looking forward to pinning a race number on his back for just the second time this year.
"I've had a light season thus far having only ridden the Dubai Tour. Since then, I've been training very hard and hope I have good form for this race. I want to do well and prepare myself to go back to Europe for the Belgium Classics and race hard for good results."
While only Wurf and Boivin remain from the team that raced at the Sun Tour, the Australian who recently enjoyed a 400km ride around his native Tasmania to celebrate Richie Porte’s birthday, is enjoying racing with his teammates.
"Asian racing is generally very aggressive with numerous attacks, and I believe this could suit my riding style. I've had a good season thus far, and I am determined to find all the opportunities where I can excel during this race," said Wurf.
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"We're bringing a very strong and exciting team to Asia. I'm eager to race with Davide Formolo for the first time. He's such a promising rider. I'm also ready to support Boivin as he seeks victory in the sprints. Our team is very balanced. I plan to be competitive and ride hard no matter how the race plays out."
Boivin, who took top ten in three stages at the Sun Tour in early February and also suffered a nasty crash, is looking forward to play his chances in the sprints.
"We are obviously going into Taiwan with a very strong team, and I think we can take stage victories and do well in the race overall. As for me, I have noticed windows to win and compete in sprints, and I'm hungry for my first win of the season. It would be great to do that before returning to Europe."
