The Lampre-Merida team has been a regular fixture in the latest editions of the Tour de San Luis. In 2014, they won a stage with Sacha Modolo in Terrazas del Portezuelo – lead-out man Maximilano Richeze was third – and last year the Italian sprinter took two third places in Villa Mercedes and Juana Koslay behind Fernando Gaviria and Mark Cavendish. In 2013, Alessandro Petacchi was also third in Villa Mercedes in the Lampre-Merida colours.

Next year Lampre-Merida aspires to win at least one stage. Davide Cimolai, Matej Mohoric, Mattia Cattaneo, Valerio Conti, Mario Costa, Roberto Ferrari – who won two stages in the race with Androni in 2011 - Ilia Koshevoy, Manuele Mori, Simone Petilli and Przemyslaw Niemiec who won at the top of the mythical Lagos de Covadonga in the 2014 Vuelta and was sixth in the 2013 Giro less than two minutes from the podium, will all travel to San Luis in January.

Linked to cycling since 1990, thanks to the passion for the sport of the Galbusera family, the Lampre company can claim to back one of the oldest teams in the international peloton. Co-sponsor Merida, the Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer, has given new impetus to the team and the presence in the WorldTour seems assured in future years due to the economic and sporting potential.

Setting the target for the medium term without neglecting the present, the Italian team has signed one of the jewels of the future for the 2016: Matej Mohoric, the Slovenian who was junior world champion in Valkenburg in 2012 when he also won silver in the time trial, and U23 world champion in Florence in 2013. After two years of learning and adaptation with th Cannondale team, he has joined the Italian team to relaunch his career.

The Slovenian will make his debut with the team in San Luis. "It's a race that will be doubly important for me," Mohoric told the organizers of the race, "as it is a very special season for my career and I will also debut with Lampre-Merida.”

At 21, Mohoric prepares to start his third season as a professional. He has never done the Tour de San Luis, but has heard a lot about the biggest race in Latin America. "It is a race that has established itself in a short time," he explained. "For many riders, it is the first competition of the year,so the motivation is high, and for others who want victory or quickly get into shape, it represents a great opportunity.”

His new teammate Davide Cimolai, winner of the Trofeo Laigueglia in 2015, shares the assessment. "I participated once in the Tour de San Luis in 2010 and will do so again with pleasure because it was the race in which I made my debut as a professional. Furthermore, it is ideal for finding the rhythm that is necessary for the following commitments," he said. His memory is excellent as his teammate Vincenzo Nibali won the race in 2010.  

Winning, however, is more complicated every year. "The quality of the participants and the organizational level is now very high,” Cimolai explained. "So if we can get a good result in San Luis it means a big boost for the rest of the year." That applies to both GC riders and stage hunters, with Lampre-Merida being most focused on daily wins. "For a sprinter, it is critical to break the ice as soon as possible, especially if the opponents are of a certain quality. It is what riders like Modolo and Gaviria have done in recent years.”