After several years as a team leader at Vacansoleil, Marco Marcato joined Cannondale for 2014 to be a key helper for Peter Sagan. After one year at the Italian team, the Italian will join the Wanty team where he will again form a strong duo in the classics with Björn Leukemans.

Marco Marcato has signed a two-year contract with Wanty - Groupe Gobert. For Jean-François Bourlart, manager of the team, the arrival of the 30-year old Italian is a serious reinforcement for the Belgian pro continental team.

“Marco will be an important rider for our team," Bourlart says. "He will share leadership for the spring Classics with Björn Leukemans. This very complementary duo has already shown they work well together on several occasions with Vacansoleil-DCM in the past. "

For Marcato himself signing with a Belgian team means a return to the terrain he holds so dear: the cobbled roads and hills of northern Europe. 

"I am already looking forward to my first race of the year with Wanty-Groupe Gobert. The team offers me the possibility to be team leader in the races I love so much, Flanders' cobbled classics." 

At Vacansoleil-DCM, Björn Leukemans and Marcato rode together for five seasons. At Wanty-Groupe Gobert they will also be reunited with sports director Hilaire Vanderschueren.

"I am happy to be on the same team as Björn and Hilaire again. We know each other well. And therefore we make a good team during the races." 

"Marco will be there in the final of the monumental Classics with 'Leuki'," Vanderschueren comments. "But he is not only a rider for the Classics. He will also be the perfect replacement of Jempy Drucker when it comes to leading out Roy Jans in the sprints."

Marcato's biggest victory was Paris-Tours in 2012. The Italian also obtained good results in many one-day races but despite his palmares he has no problem playing domestique as well.

"Yes, I can get good results for myself but I can also help the team like I did with Peter Sagan at Cannondale. With my experience I can help my colleagues get good results for the team."

Despite the fact that Marcato is used to riding outside of Italy on foreign teams, there is one thing he can't get used to.

"Your food is so much different than what we have in Italy and on Italian teams," he says with a big smile.