The selection of two non-Italian wild card teams for the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia has brought down a storm of criticism on race director Mauro Vegni, who excluded home teams Androni Giocattoli and Nippo-Vini Fantini. The RCS Sport cycling manager defended his decision to Gazzetta dello Sport, saying the teams who rely on invitations to the Giro are working under an erroneous business model.
"The crisis in Italian cycling doesn't stem from the (team) choices by the Giro, but by the fact the movement has for years been based upon the wrong business model: 'I need to ride the Giro or else I'll close the team'," Vegni said. "That's no way to think. We'll always give Italian cycling attention, but the Giro can't be everything and the other races count for nothing. The team who won't ride the Giro will ride Strade Bianche, Tirreno and Milan-San Remo. It is wrong to say everything depends on the Giro. That means the teams don't have plans."
Vegni's organisation awarded two wild cards to Italian teams: Bardiani-CSF and Wilier Triestina-Southeast, and to the Russian Gazprom-RusVelo team and CCC Sprandi Polkowice of Poland. He praised Bardiani as a development team, but was unimpressed by the fact that Nippo-Vini Fantini signed Colombian climber Julian Arredondo.
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"I'm sorry for Androni but there has to be a project behind the teams," Vegni said. "It's the same for Nippo, who I put faith in for the last two years. I want to see the best young Italian riders turn pro with them. In Nippo's case, Arrendondo doesn't make much difference."
"Bardiani is the one with a project. It's launching young talented riders. Wilier was second in the Coppa Italia but won't ride Tirreno," Vegni said. "Gazprom is a sponsor of the Champions League and has important plans for the future."
Why CCC? "Because Poland is a new market and very interesting for the Giro. We've also got to consider the political and commercial aspects, not only the sporting aspects."
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