The tough parcours of the upcoming Critérium du Dauphiné await Ivan Basso on his return to racing. The Liquigas-Cannondale captain will be pounding the French roads for eight days from Sunday, 5th June, together with seven teammates: Francesco Bellotti, Mauro Da Dalto, Mauro Finetto, Kristijan Koren, Paolo Longo Borghini, Maciej Paterski and Cameron Wurf.
«The accident on Mount Etna may have lost me some prep time but it didn’t diminish my determination to be completely ready for the Tour de France. » said Basso. «That’s why the Dauphiné is an important step; it’ll give us an initial indication of my fitness level. How I actually feel in the saddle will be more important than the end result itself. I’ve still got another month ahead to fine-tune my legs and find the right pedal stroke: I’ll be doing everything I can to be in perfect condition on that start line. »