SubscribeIn the 2012 Giro d’Italia, won by Canadian Garmin-Barracuda’s Ryder Hesjedal, the four wildcard teams offered a chance to race made it worthwhile.
A couple wildcard riders made the top 15, with Colnago CSF-Inox won a stage, while Farnese Vini-Selle Italia and Androni-Venezuela grabbing two stage victories each.
“I hope this victory, my first in the Giro, inspires other riders from the south of Italy to try to turn professional in these difficult financial times,” said Domenico Pozzovivo, a Colnago rider picking up a stage win – and finishing an impressive eighth overall – when asked after the race. “There are just two pros from my region and I would like there to be more.”
The ProTour teams typically dominate all the races they enter – but the wild card teams are tasked with attacking and helping liven up each race or tour stage. During a lull in a grand tour, for example, the wild card teams are typically the ones making it into the breakaway, forcing the ProTour teams to limit their losses and keep the attackers under control.
The 2012 Tour de France will feature the following pro-continental teams: Argos-Shimano, Saur-Sojasun, Cofidis, and Team Europcar. To be fair, Cofidis used to be a UFCI Proteam cycling squad, but they’ll still look to prove their worth this July.
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