Since the positive doping tests from Mauro Santambrogio and Danilo Di Luca left the team with a very tarnished reputation, the YellowFluo team and manager Luca Scinto have done their utmost to restore faith in the team. They could not have dreamed of a better start than they got when new signing Simone Ponzi won the first race of their season, the GP Costa degli Etruschi, ahead of his teammate Mauro Finetto in 2nd.

It has been some difficult months for YellowFluo manager Luca Scinto who saw years of hard work getting ruined by the positive doping controls of Mauro Santambrogio and Danilo Di Luca. With the main sponsor withdrawing, his project that has played an important role on the Italian cycling scene was suddenly at risk,

With Neri Sottoli stepping into the role of main sponsor, Scinto managed to save his team and started a process of rebuilding confidence. The team will publish all data from the biological passport on the team's website and has promised that it will do its utmost to show that it is racing clean.

Scinto could not have hoped for a better start than the one he got yesterday when new signing Simone Ponzi beat his teammate Mauro Finetto to win the GP Costa degli Etriuschi. To make the dominance even greater, Matteo Rabottini was 4th and Rafael Andriato 7th.

"[It is] an incredible emotion," Scinto told Spaziociclismo at the finish. "We won two days after the team presentation, in front of our fans and sponsors."

Scinto admitted that it had been a difficult time for the riders.

"We have so much anger," he said. "The boys want to prove that they are real riders and they did so. They have suffered so much in this time and wanted to redeem themselves by showing that cycling is alive, that it has changed.

"[Cycling is] not only watts, cadence and heart rate. [It is] sacrifices to train and to suffer in the cold."

Scinto has had a reputation of rebuilding the career of riders whose progress has stalled. He did that witg Giovanni Visconti and Filippo Pozzato and now Ponzi is the next rider to try the formula.

"He is a rider who needs to be tranquil," Scint said. "This victory is proof that some riders have to wait to go to a big team because there is room for less leaders there."

Ponzi himself said that he is "happy with how his season has started" and claimed that the win "can only add motivation to continue to give my maximum".

"I'm very happy with this result," he said. "I wanted to give excitement to the team and knew that I could do it. The team has trusted me and given me a leadership role. I hope to give more satisfaction between now and the season end. I have to thank everyone on the team, from the title sponsor to everybody else."

He was part of the 5-rider group that escaped on the final passage of the Torre Segalari climb, having teammates Rabottini and Finetto at his side.Ponzi attacked with 3km to go and while his former companions were caught, he held off the peloton to take a solo win.

"Davide Formolo asked me to take a turn," he said of the decisive action. "I took over from him and suddenly found myself with a 100m advantage. At that point I pushed hard to the finish and I felt good. Behind, there were three teammates and I knew that I could count on them."

Ponzi has no regrets about his choice to leave the WorldTour.

"When I had to choose where to go, I had no doubts: Luca Scinto is a plus for my motivation and that was what I needed to restart my career."

Despite last year's controversies, YellowFluo have earned invitations to the biggest Italian races, including the Giro d'Italia. Ponzi hopes to prove himself in the major events on the calendar.

"The biggest goal of my cycling career is Milan-Sanremo," he said and added the new course for the classic is "even more selective than other years.

"For me it is much better. But I still need to go and see it. We hope it suits my characteristics well. We weill be there and I will certainly try to do my best."

Ponzi also has the same dream as most other Italian cyclists.

"A stage win in the Giro has been a dream since an early age," he said. "This year, with this team, I can really try to do well.

"I still have to study these races because I want to do well in them. Then we'll see."