The 2015 season is about to start for the Bardiani team. The first race of the Green Team will be the Dubai Tour, scheduled from February 4-8. Sprint sensation Nicola Ruffoni will lead the team while Enrico Battaglin will try to capitalize from his ride with the national team at the Tour de San Luis in the uphill sprint on stage 3. Nicola Boem , Andrea Piechele and Stefano Pirazzi will ride in support and they will be joined by neo-pros Paolo Simion , Luca Sterbini and Simone Sterbini.

While being aware that "the first race of a new season is always an unknown,” manager Roberto Reverberi is confident "of being able to do well right away," focusing on his captains, but also on "a group of riders that will surely enliven the race.”

"I used the winter well and I trained meticulously because for a sprinter races like Dubai and the Tour of Qatar are already very important events”, Ruffoni says. “I am motivated and ca not wait to confront the best sprinters in the world and try to beat them to get the first positive results of 2015 from which I expect a lot.”

CyclingQuotes have big confidence in Ruffoni who features on our list of riders to watch and in our preview of stage 1 of the Dubai Tour.