Big Goals: With Alessandro Petacchi and Damiano Cunego, Lampre Looking for a 30+ Win Cycling Season

The Italian Lampre squad made some big moves and decisions in the off season. Not only did they sign Italian super sprinter Alessandro Petacchi, but their stage race leader Damiano Cunego declared that he was done riding for the classification in stage races and would instead shift his focus to one day races and stage wins in all three grand tours. Lampre, a relative outlier in 2009, should be a ofrce on the one day scene in 2010 behind their two talented one day specialists.

Alessandro Petacchi is one of the most decorated active Italian cyclists, and when on form has the top end speed to challenge even the likes of Mark Cavendish. A soft spoken sprinter with a vicious finishing kick, Petacchi is completely recovered from a knee injury a few years ago, and the lanky Italian is ready to make a push for a 20 win season.

Damiano Cunego meanwhile will finally shift his focus exclusively to one day races. He already has several classic wins to his credit, and with an all out push for one day races in 2010, he should be able to add at least one more to his palmares over the course of the season. In stage races meanwhile he seems a prime candidate for the climber's jersey at both the Giro and Tour de France, with a stage win or two peppered in. With less pressure to challenge for the overall at the big stage races, expect Cunego to rack up the accolades throughout the season, en route to at least a 10 win season.

Backing up Petacchi and Cunego is a solid Lampre lineup featuring some solid domestiques who should be able to support both riders throughout the season. For Petacchi, a host of good lead out men are ready to provide him the perfect train for sprint finishes, including Francesco Gavazzi, Mirco Lorenzetto and the German Danilo Hondo. Those three and others should provide a nice launch pad for Petacchi throughout the year, and he'll be on the short list of favorites for Milan San-Remo.

Cunego meanwhile will fend for himself at the finish of each race, but names like Alessandro Specialetti, Simon Spilak and Angelo Furlan will keep "Il Piccolo Principe" protected until the finishes of races like La Fleche Wallonne, Leige-Bastogne-Leige and the Giro di Lombardia. He'll then be a top threat at the Giro and Tour de France as a stage race threat and possible mountain classification winner.

The only question remaining for Lampre is whether they'll maintain their Pro Tour status throughout the year. They are currently operating under a temporary license and providing they don't have doping positives they should have the license extended for the remainder of 2010. One thing is for sure, Lampre will be a much stronger team in 2010 than they were in 2009.