Riccardo Riccò will take part in the Tour de France 2008. The young Saunier Duval-Scott rider, who was second overall in the Giro d´Italia 2008, is the latest addition to the group of nine "red birds" for the Tour de france. Riccò, whose calendar didn´t include the French grand tour, is joining the team because José Ángel Gómez Marchante won´t be able to participate. He´s been suffering from ulcerative colitis, a disease that forced him to abandone at the Dauphiné Libéré and prevented him from training properly for the Tour. The Madrid-born rider will fine-tune his form for the Vuelta Ciclista a España.

On July 5, the following riders will show up at the startline in Brest alongside Riccò: Italian Leonardo Piepoli, who´s coming back to competition after his crash in the Giro d´Italia, a race he had to leave with several fractures in his left hand and three broken ribs. Juanjo Cobo (20th last year) and David de la Fuente (most combative rider in the 2006 edition of the French stage race ) are two big hopes of Saunier Duval - Scott. The team will bring four men who will make their debut in the greatest event in professional cycling; they are: Josep Jufré, "Litu" Gómez, Jesús del Nero and young Alberto Fernández de la Puebla. The ninth place for the squad will be decided after the national championships from Switzerland´s Rubens Bertogliati, Spain´s Rubén Lobato and Frenchman Aurelien Passeron.

Team Saunier Duval - Scott  for 2008 Tour de France

Riccardo Riccò, Leonardo Piepoli, Juanjo Cobo, David De La Fuente, Josep Jufré, Alberto Fernández, Jesús del Nero , Rubén Lobato, or Aurelien Paseron, or Rubens Bertogliati.