Velonews: Ex-italian Champ Santaromita Signs With Continental Skydive

<figure ><img title="Ivan Santaromita" src="cdn.velonews.competitor.comIvan Santaromita 320x213.jpg"Open ↗/><p>Ivan Santaromita wore the Italian colors after winning the 2013 national championship. Photo: Tim De Waele | <a href="http://www.tdwsport.com" target="_blank">TDWsport.com</a></p></figure><p>Ivan Santaromita, the former Italian national champion, will ride for SkyDive Dubai in 2016, reported <em><a href="http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/23-11-2015/colpaccio-skydive-ingaggiato-santaromita-1301044199208.shtml" target="_blank">La Gazzetta della Sport</a></em>.</p>
<p>The 31-year-old climber, one of a handful of bigger names still without a contract late in the season, expressed his relief at his new, one-year deal.</p>
<p>“The last two years have been hell,” Santaromita told <em>La Gazzetta dello Sport</em>. “I’ve had enough. I will be able to return to the top with Skydive.”</p>
<p>Santaromita turned pro with Quick-Step in 2005, and raced three seasons each at Liquigas and BMC Racing, where he was a favorite teammate of 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans. After two winless seasons at Orica-GreenEdge, he said he needed a change.</p>
<p>“It’s true that Skydive is only ‘Continental,’ but I have spoken with [team managers] Alberto Volpi and Ricardo Martins, but they assured me it’s a valid project,” he said in the report. “I am happy. I’ve accepted a one-year deal, but maybe I will stay longer if things go well.”</p>
<p>Skydive debuted in 2014, and includes a mix of north African and Middle Eastern riders and a sampling of European pros, such as Francisco Mancebo, Andrea Palini, and Vladimir Gusev.</p>
<p>Santaromita is the latest among a <a href="velonews.competitor.comfor riders without a 2016 contract its crunch time 388423"Open ↗target="_blank">handful of experienced pros</a> still waiting on the sidelines for a ride for next season.</p>
<p>Other top names include Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida), who’s been linked to Southeast, and Igor Antón (Movistar), the Basque climber. Ronaldo Nocentini (Ag2r La Mondiale), Chris Sutton (Sky), John Gadret (Movistar), Brett Lancaster (Orica-GreenEdge), and Kristof Vandewalle (Trek Factory Racing) are among some of the other top names still holding out hope for another year in the peloton.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="velonews.competitor.comex italian champ santaromita signs with continental skydive 389872">Ex ItalianOpen ↗champ Santaromita signs with Continental Skydive</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com">VeloNews.com</a>.</p>

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