Rinaldo Nocentini (1977) will be back in the peloton in 2016 although he will no longer be part of the WorldTour. BiciCiclismo reports that he will be the leader of the Portuguese Sporting Lisbon team after the football club took over the structure of the continental Tavira team.

Nocentini has spent 17 seasons as a professional since 1999, the last nine at the French AG2R La Mondiale team. The Italian will be the team leader of a Sporting team that will include four Spaniards, David de la Fuente, Jesus Ezquerra, Mario Gonzalez and Oscar Gonzalez. At 38 years of age, his aim will be to win the Volta ao Portugal, the main goal for the football club in the return to cycling.

Sporting Clube de Portugal-Tavira - which is the official name - will present Nocentini and De la Fuente to the fans at the Estádio José Alvalade in January.

In 2015, Nocentini did the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta Espana and excelled in the Ardennes where he was 12th in Amstel and Fleche Wallonne. His last victory was in the Tour du Haut Var in 2010 after which he suffered a serious crash, breaking his tibia and fibula. One year earlier, eight days wore the yellow jersey and finished 12th Tour de France. He was second in the 2008 Paris-Nice and fourth in the 2012 Tirreno-Adriatico.

He has been riding for Mapei (1999-2001), Fassa Bortolo (2002), Formaggi (2003), Acqua & Sapone (2004-2006) and AG2R (2007-2015).

Yesterday Sporting-Tavira officially unveiled their project which will continue for at least four years.

Sporting Club president Bruno de Carvalho, Mayer of the Municipality of Tavira, Jorge Botelho, and Presiden of the Tavira Cycling Club, Marcelino Teixeira, have signed an agreement until 2019. The football club returns to the peloton in the continental category after almost two decades. The green and white lions disappeared from cycling in 1987 after winning the Grandissima nine times.

Although no details are confirmed, Carvalho claims to have what is "sufficient and necessary" to "compete for the win" in all races, as reported by the Lusa Agency. The Volta ao Portugal will be the main goal.

Vidal Fitas' formation will have 12 riders and has made ​​eight names official: David Livramento and Valter Pereira will return from the 2015 team and will be joined by Luis Fernandes (W52), Hugo Sabido (Louletano), Júlio Gonçalves (Anicolor) and Spaniards Jesus Ezquerra (ActiveJet), Mario Gonzalez (ActiveJet) and Oscar Gonzalez (ex-Efapel), according to BiciCiclismo. The signings of de la Fuente and Nocentini are not confirmed yet.

Fitas has won four editions of the Volta ao Portugal as team leader, with David Blanco in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and Ricardo Mestre in 2011.