Nicole Cooke rode for the Great Britain national team last year

Welsh cyclist Nicole Cooke will ride for the new Italy-based MCipollini-Giordana team next season.

Cooke joins two other former world road race champions, Marta Bastianelli and Tatiana Guderzo, at the Italian outfit.

"I'm thrilled to be part of this team which has big ambitions over the coming years," said 27-year-old Cooke.

"The mixture of riders helps us to be competitive in all styles of races... and I'm looking forward to riding together with all the girls."

The team, sponsored by the bike business of former sprinter Mario Cipollini and clothing company Giordana, will be managed by Walter Ricci Petitoni, the former head of the now defunct Selle Italia-Ghezzi team.

Also on the MCipollini-Giordana roster are junior world champion Rossella Callovi, Italian national champion Monia Baccaille, Marta Tagliaferro, Rossella Gobbo, Samantha Galassi, Elisa Frisoni, 2009 Swiss champion Jennifer Hohl and Julia Blindiuk of Russia.

Cooke spent last season riding with the Great Britain national team, following the collapse of her Vision1 team last year and Skyter-Shipping was not in a position to take over sponsorship of the German Nurnberger team which she had agreed to join.

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