As we hinted a month ago, the 66-year-old sports director from Bologna Orlando Maini becomes the fourth sports director of Team Polti VisitMalta: he will share the team cars with Stefano Zanatta, Jesus Hernandez, and Giovanni Ellena. Of many champions and talents he has guided in over thirty years, Ivan Basso was always a great rival for him: between the two, however, respect and mutual esteem have never been lacking, and now they find themselves working together, in different roles, within the same structure.

These are the statements that can be read on the team's official website:

Maini: "I sincerely thank the entire management and my colleagues for making this possible! I am honored to have been called to work with a very interesting group of athletes. In my career, I have spent a lot of time with young talents who have given me great satisfaction, and in Polti VisitMalta, there is an ideal environment for this."

Team principal Basso: "We are proud to welcome an authentic sports professional, even before a cycling expert, who has transmitted his experience across all categories, receiving overwhelming positive feedback. A profile like his, with a particular attention to emerging talents, will further strengthen our growth process."