Rasmus Navardauskas who won a bronze medal at the UCI road World Championships in 2015, moves to Bahrain Merida from Cannondale-Drapac, where he has ridden since turning professional. In an interview with Cyclingnews, he reveals that he will be ready to work for his new leader Vincenzo Nibali.

"Nibali is a star. I’m really excited about being a part of it. With Nibali it’s very important to be very strong, to be part of his team. If you’re not at your very best it’s better to take someone else", he explained. "But I’m really looking forward to being part of that squad. There’ll be a lot of Italians around, maybe I'll learn some Italian, because so far it’s zero. I know from experience that Italians are a really friendly bunch, and I’m just looking forward to seeing how it works out."

The Lithuanian will be part of Nibali's group. A few riders will ride with the Sicilian to prepare for the Giro d’Italia but he hopes to take his own chances too.