Chloe Hosking is quick to acknowledge that her move to Alé Cipollini Galassia was unconventional on paper. The Australian was the first international rider announced to the revamped Italian squad that was presented in Verona earlier this month. The 12-rider team, headlined by Hosking and Marta Bastianelli, includes seven non-Italians, six of whom are new signings for the upcoming season.
"It was very evident during team camp that management wants this team to be viewed as an international team, not an Italian team," Hosking told Cyclingnews. "They told us very clearly that this is not how Italian teams are typically run. A typical Italian team wouldn't have more foreign riders than Italian riders. There was no translator at team camp for the English-speakers, and they're not pushing us to go to Italian classes three times a week.
"It still has an Italian flavour," Hosking added. "All the sponsors are Italian with Alé, Cipollini and DMT. I'll still make an effort to learn Italian, but it's because I want to be able to communicate better with my teammates, the staff and the sponsors rather than because I can't communicate at all if I don't."
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Hosking's comments underscore the transformation happening at Alé Cipollini ahead of the upcoming season. While the desire to internationalise the squad pre-dates Hosking's hire, the team's 2017 line-up reflects the Australian's input.
"It's been humbling," said Hosking, who finished a two-year stint with Wiggle High5 at the end of the season. "[Alé Cipollini general manager] Fortunati [Lacquaniti] came to me in July. The team was looking for something really specific, and they were willing to give me the flexibility I wanted in order to get that.
"Once we came to an agreement, he consulted with me on the sort of riders that I thought would be a good fit for the team," Hosking added. "That's when I reached out to riders like Romy [Kasper] and Janneke [Ensing]."
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