The Green Machine will attend three races on Belgian cobbles getting into the country's spirit and passion for cycling. Tomorrow, March 26, Cannondale Pro Cycling will kick-off its Belgium campaign at Dwars Door Vlaanderen, followed by E3 Harelbeke on Friday, March 28, and Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, March 30.

 

The team's second week in Belgium will focus on the Driedaagse De Panne, April 1 through 3, in order to prepare for the next race, a marquee race of the campaign, the monumental Ronde Van Vlaanderen which takes place on Sunday, April 6. After this epic race Cannondale Pro Cycling will head to Scheldeprijs on April 9 followed by Paris-Roubaix, the "Hell of the North," and the final event of the cobbled Classics.

 

Peter Sagan is eager to leave his mark on the cobbles, and Cannondale Pro Cycling is determined to provide him with the best possible support. With the exception of the Dwars Door Vlaanderen, the Slovakian champion will attend all the races leading up to the Paris-Roubaix, the start of Flemish cycling week.

 

Italian Oscar Gatto will lead the team as captain at Dwars Door Vlaanderen.  After winning Dwars in 2013, the 29 year-old Gatto is expected to give a bold performance in order to become a key rider for Sagan in the 2014 Classics campaign.

 

"Last year's win was the was a quality step in my career, and it was a such an important and great experience," said Gatto. "The Belgian Classics are some of the most epic races of the season, and the ones in which I feel I can showcase my strengths most. I know that I must support Peter during this campaign. Helping him win is my goal, and I will be ready to do what the team needs of me.

 

"In Dwars Door Vlaanderen," added Gatto. "I'll have a different role, and it will be big chance to show that I can achieve good results. I want to make up for that with a strong performance and an important result."

 

Italian Marco Marcato will be the substitute of Sagan at Dwars Door Vlaanderen, while Maciej Bodnar of Poland, American Ted King, Slovenian Kristijan Koren, Austrian Matthias Krizek and other Italians Paolo Borghini and Alan Marangoni will attend the opening event and also race at Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem.

 

"This team has been selected to help Sagan in the best way possible," said team director Stefano Zanatta, who will lead the team in these three races. "These are dependable riders and experts on cobbles who already know what to expect. We have been training since December to facilitate harmony and understand the inner workings of these races in order to succeed. Our greatest strength must be team spirit and determination - we have to ride with no fear of anything or anyone."