The 2015 season was a mixed one for Trek. Bauke Mollema finished in the top 10 at the Tour de France and the team won three stages of the Vuelta a Espana. However, the Americans missed out on classics success as Fabian Cancellara crashed in E3 Harelbeke. Manager Luca Guercilena is now planning what he hopes will be a more successful 2016 season.

"I like to be active but now there is no room to take a breath,” he told Tuttobiciweb. “In this period when the riders have their sacrosanct time of recovery, we are very busy preparing the new season and the first meeting. We will be in Benidorm from December 8-18 and this will be the official start of the 2016 season."

The team has signed seven new riders for 2016.

"We have not changed much, but there have been major signings that I'm sure will help the team to be more competitive,” Giercilena said. “We lost Danny van Poppel and Bob Jungels, two young riders of value, but we replaced them with Peter Stetina and Kiel Reijnen. Ryder Hesjedal is an important signing of great value that will give specific weight to the whole team, especially in the grand tours. He is an experienced rider who can offer a lot, both in races and with his charisma and his experience. There are also Bobridge whom we know is very talented, Theuns and Bonifazio who were among the best riders in the Europe Tour. In short, it seems to me that we’ve had a good recruitment.

"I expect much from 2016. I say this without mincing my words because we're Americans and Americans are direct, straightforward and immediate. After a 2014 that was our debut season and a season that just ended with 21 victories and in which we could do much more if we had not had so many mishaps, we ask for a quantum leap.”

The leader will again be Fabian Cancellara who will have a new preparation for 2016.

“This year we will rely on the Mapei centre which for me is really a second home,” Guecilena said. ”He will be working closely with the entire team of Andrea Morelli and all the staff at Mapei Sport.”

Cancellara is set to retire at the end of the year and Trek are reportedly in the hot seat when it comes to signing Vincenzo Nibali as a new leader.

“I have never hidden our interest, but I also know that the Astana will do everything not to lose a valuable rider like Vincenzo. We are there, ready to intervene if there is a chance to do so,” Guercilena said.

Returning riders:

Eugenio Alafaci

Julian Arredondo

Fumy Beppu

Fabian Cancellara

Marco Coledan

Stijn Devolder

Laurent Didier

Fabio Felline

Markel Irizar

Bauke Mollema

Giacomo Nizzolo

Yaroslav Popovych

Gregory Rast

Fränk Schleck

Jasper Stuyven

Boy Van Poppel

Riccardo Zoidl

Haimar Zubeldia

New riders:

Julien Bernard

Jack Bobridge

Niccolo Bonifazio

Ryder Hesjedal

Kiel Reijnen

Peter Stetina

Edward Theuns