The Trek-Segafredo (open in new tab) men's team has announced its members for the Tour de France (open in new tab) and Giro d'Italia (open in new tab), with two training groups based in the French Alps and the Italian Dolomites, 2020 They revealed that they will prepare for changes in the season.

Trek-Segafredo's women's team is also expected to make similar arrangements in the coming days in preparation for the revised women's calendar.

Trek-Segafredo will return to racing in late July at the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain, followed by the Tour de France in September, the Giro d'Italia and major classics in October, and the 18-day Vuelta that runs through November 8, a compact 71-day jump into the World Tour program.

"The new dates for the most important events, the Grand Tours and the Classics, were first and foremost what all cycling stakeholders wanted. Now we have to explain how to best prepare our team," said Luca Guercilena, Trek-Segafredo's team manager.

"It is not easy to run three race programs (even four) simultaneously in a compressed calendar. But we feel confident and satisfied.

"We have 28 registered athletes for the men's program, which is enough for a normal season, but perhaps too few for a special season. We have more scenarios for contingencies and are trying to select the right riders to achieve our goals. The biggest challenge is that we have to make quite a few choices today in order to get the riders in the best possible conditions, and given how close the race is, there is little room for change."

Trek-Segafredo has already decided that Vincenzo Nibali will target the Giro d'Italia, with Richie Porte and Bauke Mollema leading the Tour de France team. The team has now selected a nine-rider squad for both Grand Tours and will prepare as two different units in the weeks before the races.

"We are about two months away from the start of the Tour de France, three months from the Giro d'Italia, and four months from the Vuelta a España. Under normal circumstances, we would have a list of potential starters and, depending on their performance on the road, 10 to 12 riders to choose from. This year is different," explained Guercilena.

"Each Grand Tour will have nine riders registered. The reference group for the Tour will train in the Isola 2000, with the exception of Julien Bernard. For the Giro, they will train at Passo San Pellegrino. The Vuelta is the only Grand Tour where there is a decision to be made. The only thing that is certain is that Morema is the captain."

Supporting Nibali in his quest for a third Giro d'Italia win are seven of the following eight: Giulio Ciccone, Gianluca Brambilla, Nicola Conti, Jacopo Mosca, Antonio Nibali, recent addition Pieter Weening, and Julien Bernard, Cohen de Corto.

The Tour de France will feature Bauke Mollema, Richie Porte, Jasper Steiven, Niklas Egg, Alex Kirsch, Thoms Skuzins, Edward Theuns, world champion Mads Pedersen, and French climber Kenny Elissond. Nine riders will compete. Teams and strategies for the other races will be announced in the coming weeks.

Altitude is an important part of training for Grand Tour athletes, but must be carefully integrated into the training plan to achieve the right effect. logistics and health issues related to COVID-19 add other aspects and requirements, Trek Segafredo, opted to create two separate groups with athletes and staff to reduce the risk of contagion. The team made it clear that both camps would fully comply with national regulations and follow strict UCI medical rules regarding testing and medical examinations in order to minimize the risk of a COVID-19 pandemic.

Bauke Mollema, Richie Porte, Jasper Steuben, Julien Bernard, Niklas Egg, Alex Kirsch, Toms Skuzins, and Edward Theuns will be in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France from July 12 to 28. They will head to the camp at Izola 2000 in the Performance manager Jos Larrazabal and sport directors Steven de Jong and Kim Andersen will oversee the eight riders.

Vincenzo Nibali, Giulio Ciccone, Gianluca Brambilla, Nicola Consi, Jacopo Mosca, Antonio Nibali, and Pieter Weening will head to Passo San Pellegrino in the Italian Dolomites between July 10 and 25. They will be led by trainer Paolo Slongo.

"While these confirmations shed light on the two basic events of the men's season, work on the rest of the calendar also continues at a fast pace. We have completed a detailed calendar for both teams and will soon announce the first steps of the women's season, including training camps and participation in the most important races," Guercilena concluded.