The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team confirmed the signing of two Italian cyclists, Daniele Ratto (Cannondale) and Marco Canola (Bardiani), in an attempt to signal their intention to contest the Giro d'Italia next year. 

Ratto, who won last year on the Coll de la Gallina in the Vuelta a Espana, was without a team after the disappearance of Cannondale. Canola, meanwhile, this year won a stage in the Giro d'Italia in Rivarolo Canavese, and leaves behind three seasons at Bardiani. 

The two riders with sporting director Roberto Damiani and Alessandro Bazzana will on Monday attend the official presentation of the Giro d’Italia. UnitedHealthcare is the main sponsor of the team since 2010 and in April announced the renewal of its sponsorship for three years until 2017. In 2011, they jumped to the Professional Continental category, but have yet to appear in a Grand Tour.

"I am very excited to be joining the UnitedHealthcare" says Canola. "I trust this team and in this project. I'm sure I'll be able to express my potential and repay the confidence that the team has placed in me. In 2015, I want to re-confirm the good results I had in 2014 and reach new goals. It will be a very difficult season in which I can prove my worth competing against big riders. The team has a very well organized structure that will support me in all my needs: materials, components, team managers, training, massage, and teammates, so all I worry about is the performance."