Mark Cavendish will be in action for the Wolfpack at the 116-year-old Italian one-day race.
Running from Omegna to Beinasco over a largely flat 198km route featuring just a couple of hills, the 106th edition of Gran Piemonte is scheduled to take place this Thursday, when Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl will be one of the twenty-three teams at the start.
British Champion Mark Cavendish, who in the first part of the season tasted success in Italy at Milano-Torino – the oldest race in the world – and Il Giro, will lead the line for the Wolfpack, who will also count on Andrea Bagioli, Davide Ballerini, the winner of Coppa Bernocchi at the beginning of the week, Tim Declercq, James Knox, Michael Mørkøv and Pieter Serry.
“We go to the start of this race with a strong and motivated team, featuring Mark, but also Davide, who showed his fine form in Bernocchi. A bunch sprint is very likely, and if this happens, Michael is the man for the lead-out, with the rest of the team capable of controlling the race prior to the finale. It’s our last race week of the season and we hope to get another good result”, explained Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl sports director Davide Bramati.
Photo credit: ©Bas Czerwinski / Getty Images
James Knox 
Pieter Serry 