For a cycling fan it is the best time of the year. The classics are over, and now we are onto the Grand Tours, starting with the 99th edition of the Giro d’Italia.
The first three-week race of the year rolls out on Friday, in Apeldoorn, in the Netherlands.
As with every Grand Tour, there are 22 teams line-up, with many differing ambitions. However, they all have one thing in common: the need to perform on the world stage.
The bigger teams need to keep themselves at the top of the pecking order, whereas for the small teams, Grand Tours are a time to shine and gain that extra bit of attention they desperately need.
Here is my preview of all the teams in this year’s Giro d’Italia.
AG2R La Mondiale
After some hard luck at last year’s Giro, AG2R bring general classification contenders in Jean-Christophe Péraud, and Domenico Pozzovivo.
Pozzovivo’s results last season indicate he had a solid season, with a top 15 place at the Vuelta a Espana, and top five positions at the Tour De Suisse and Volta a Catalunya. However, at his season objective and home race, the Giro, he suffered a shocking crash on Stage 3 and left in an ambulance.
So far this season, his only notable performance has been a top ten at the Giro del Trentino. Let’s hope he can get back to his best and perform in front of his home fans.
At the age of 38, Frenchman Peraud will make his debut at the Giro. A man with a big engine, and a great ability to pull of solid performances in Grand Tours (predominantly at the Tour, including a second place in 2014), it will be interesting to see whether he is coming to the Giro for a place inside the top five or to get ready for the Grand Boucle.
Also in the team are time trial specialists Hugo Houle and Patrick Gretsch, and key domestiques Mateo Montaguti and Biel Kadri.
Astana
Vincenzo Nibali headlines another strong squad for Astana. After finishing second and third last year, the Kazakh squad will be hoping Nibali repeats his feats of 2013 to take the pink jersey after the final stage in Torino.
This will be Nibali’s first tilt at the Giro crown since his win in 2013, having diverted his efforts to conquering the Tour de France, which he was successful in doing (first in 2014 and fourth last year).
Astana have picked a solid squad to support the veteran Italian in the mountains, with Michele Scarponi, Jakub Fuglsang, Eros Capecchi and Tanel Kangert just a few of the names that will protect their leader.
While Nibali was warming up for the Giro in the Ardennes, Fuglsang and Kangert were performing at the Giro del Trentino, taking second and third respectively, the latter also winning two stages.
Astana are the strongest team, with Movistar, at this race. They will assert themselves on the early climbs of the first real test of the tour, Stage 6 to Roccaraso.
Bardiani – CSF
One of the reasons l love watching this race is the performances over the last few years of the Bardiani CSF squad. In the last three years, they have taken at least one stage win.
Consistently punching above their weight at their home race, this team race on passion and an uncanny knack for finding the lucky breakaway of the tour which goes all the way to the line.
Interestingly, there is no Enrico Battaglin, who can both climb and sprint, but punchy sprinter Sonny Colbrelli could fill his void.
In the mountains, look towards both Stefano Pirazzi and Francesco Bongiorno.
Nicola Ruffoni will have his opportunities in the flatter sprints as well.
BMC
“We are not taking one of our clear GC guys so all of the riders will have the chance to jump in a breakaway, go for stage wins, and really take any opportunity that they see,” said BMC team director Max Sciandri.
“Four of our nine riders are Italian so it’s always extra motivation to do well when you’re racing at the biggest race in your home country.”
Both Alessandro De Marchi and Darwin Atapuma will get their chances in the high mountains.
Italian De Marchi has shown himself to be man for the breakaway, winning two stages in the Vuelta in 2015 and 2014 in both hill and mountain stages. Without a GC leader to protect, he will get a chance to go for glory in front of his home fans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUlDxN_ojJE
Colombian Darwin Atapuma finished just outside the top 15 at the Giro last year, but this year will target stage wins – or so his team says – and will come into his own in the high mountains. A man who has not yet reached his potential is slowly running out of time to do so. He needs a big result here.
Watch out for second-year young guns Stefan Kung and Silvan Diller in the hillier stages to look to get off the front. Both have big engines and bright futures. A stage win for either of them here is not out of the question.
Cannondale
Rigoberto Uran starts as one of the favourites, after two second-places here in the past, and told Cyclingnews, “It’s important to be on the podium or in the top five because it’s a big race but I’ve been second twice, and now I think it is the best opportunity to win this race.”
Uran has had a slow start to the season, with the only performance of note being a top ten finish at the Volta a Catalunya.
He will be supported by the talented Davide Formolo, who won Stage 4 in last year’s edition from a break, Australian Simon Clarke, who wore the pink jersey after Stage 4 last year following ten-team Orica-GreenEDGE taking the opening day time trial win, Joe Dombrowski and Andre Cardoso.
This team consistently shoots itself in the foot, let’s hope they have the luck they deserve and Uran has a real tilt at the title once again.
Dimension Data
After the outstanding performances of Steve Cummings and Daniel Teklehaminot at last year’s Tour de France, Dimension Data will want similar success in their first ever Giro.
With no general classification hopes, once again it will be all about stage wins for this outfit.
They have options majority in the mountain stages, with former Movistar rider Igor Anton taking part in his first Grand Tour with the team. The 33-year-old is a four-time stage winner at the Vuelta, and will be looking to show his team that he has still much to offer in the pro peloton.
Young gun Merhawi Kudus could potentially ride general classification, but he likely will use this Grand Tour as another learning curve, and be selective in picking stages to target. Having finished 17th at Romandie, he should be in decent form coming into the later part of Week 1.
Other riders to look out for include Nathan Haas for the hilly finishes, and Kristian Sparagli for the sprints.
Etixx Quickstep
After a torrid time last year, Marcel Kittel is back to his best, having taken already seven sprint stage wins so far this season. His duel with Andre Griepel should be epic on both Stages 2 3, and should set the sprinting tone for the rest of the race.
It will be interesting to see whether Kittel finishes in Torino, or leaves early in preparation for the Tour.
He has a solid squad with him, and with lead-out men Matteo Trentin and Fabio Sabatini he should be well placed into the final of most sprints. While his train is weaker than Griepel’s, Kittel has the outright speed in a head-to-head sprint.
So, what wins, brute speed or tactical superiority. Should be fun viewing.
Watch out for Bob Jungels and Gianluca Brambilla to get their opportunities on the hillier stages.
FDJ
FDJ have two main options, with Arnaud Demare being the figurehead sprinter, and Alexandre Geniez their man for the mountain finishes and potentially a GC tilt.
Demare has four wins so far this year, including the biggest of his career, after taking out Milan-San Remo only a month and a half ago. Along with that, he took the opening stage of Paris-Nice.
He has the speed to challenge, but will need to follow the Etixx or Lotto trains, because his is fairly poor, with only Brazilian Murilo Fisher able to be relied upon.
Geniez finished ninth at the Giro last year and will be looking to move even higher. The Frenchmen is progressing year on year and a big result is surely around the corner. He has two top-ten finishes on GC this year, at Criterium International and the Tour of the Mediterranean.
He could be an outsider for a top-five spot if things fall his way.
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