CyclingQuotes.com Giro del Trentino a big target for MTN-Qhubeka

MTN-Qhubeka have made the Giro del Trentino one of their big targets for the spring season and will line up with a team that is led by Spanish climber Sergio Pardilla. He will be joined by South African talents Jacques Janse Van Rensburg and Louis Meintjes as potential GC candidates for the team.

The Giro del Trentino is the next stop on the Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung race calendar and this Italian stage race has been pinpointed as a goal race for the stage racing team. Last year the team took part in the race for the first time and the young riders really had their eyes opened to the level that the grand tour riders were at this time of the year.

Many of the riders who have ambitions for a top finish on the GC at the Giro d’ Italia use the Giro del Trentino as their final preparation race, making for an extremely high level of competition. This year alone, Cadel Evans (BMC), Michele Scarponi (Astana) and Domenico Pozzovivo (AG2R La Mondiale) will be among some the Giro d’ Italia contneders starting the Giro del Trentino.

The 4 day stage race consists of an opening team time trial and then 3 climbing stages, all ending with a climb to the finish line. The Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung riders who will start today will be lea by Sergio Pardilla, our experienced Spanish climber. After racing the Mzansi Tour, Pardilla spent a few days at altitude in his home country, preparing for the Giro del Trentino.

Pardilla will be backed up by Jacques Janse van Rensberg, the winner of the recent Mzansi Tour, Louis Meintjes, Songezo Jim, Adrien Niyonshuti, Meron Russom, Daniel Teklehaimanot and Ferekalsi Debesay.

"A number of our riders here are coming from the Mzansi Tour which we won with Jacques," Directeur Sportif Kevin Campbell says. "It’s always good to win and the confidence of the team is high now. The level here is completely different to South Africa though.

"This race last year was the first race for some of our team members against Pro-Tour teams and it was a bit of an awakening for them. This year our riders are a little more experienced and hopefully better prepared for the challenges ahead.

"With many of the top riders almost in peak form for the Giro the standard of racing is going to be world class. As is normal we obviously hope to race well as a team and be competitive. Louis, Sergio and Jacques will certainly hope to be able to hold their own in the hills and contest for stages

"As we do in every race we try to race for a top finish, whether in stages or on GC. Yes, some of the best riders in the world will be here, but we are aiming to mix it up with them and be active participants in every day's racing."

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