Giro preview part two: the GC up-and-comers

Last week we had a look at the major favourites for the overall victory in the Giro d’Italia. This week it’s time to check out some less fancied riders who are still a good chance to grab a podium place or a top ten overall result.

The Giro d’Italia has an interesting habit of throwing up unexpected winners. Think of Damiano Cunego in 2004, or even Ryder Hesjedal in 2012.

For the general classification, we can count out sprint-centric teams like Lotto-Belisol, Orica-GreenEDGE, Omega Pharma-Quickstep, Argos Shimano, and FDJ. These teams are built around sprinters and opportunists. But that leaves plenty of teams with serious GC ambitions.

One of the most experienced of the riders I didn’t mention last week is Euskatel’s Samuel Sanchez. Now 35, Sanchez has previously stood on Grand Tour podiums at the Vuelta and the Tour, and he has explicitly stated he is aiming just as high at the Giro.

This season, Sanchez has put in solid performances in Tirreno-Adriatico and Pais Vasco, without revealing outstanding form. Known as an attacking rider who can win stages and classics, he has also shown he can be consistent through a Grand Tour and time trials very well.

Of course, his Euskatel team desperately needs a good performance from its veteran as it fights to remain in the World Tour.

AG2R-La Mondial has two promising climbers, in Carlos Betancur and Domenico Pozzovivo.

Betancur, a Colombian, was extremely impressive in the Ardennes classics, finishing third at Fleche-Wallonne and fourth at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. He was also seventh overall in Pais Vasco, and in 2012 was in the top five at Giro del Trentino.

He is clearly a very talented young climber, but at 23 years old probably expected to challenge for stage wins than overall victory.

The same is probably true for diminutive Italian climber Pozzovivo, who won a stage in the Giro last year on the way to eighth overall. Pozzovivo also won the 2012 Giro del Trentino.

His 2013 form has been interrupted by a crash at Trentino, and his deficiency against the clock will probably cost his chances of overall victory, but expect him to be at the sharp end of the Giro’s many summit finishes.

Blanco’s Robert Gesink is another rider who has shown glimpses of his potential in shorter stage races, but has managed four top-10 finishes in Grand Tours without yet taking the step onto the podium.

A relatively quiet 2013 season so far makes it difficult to read his form, but we all know he has the talent to be on the podium. I’m not convinced this is the race where he’ll do it, but he’s worth watching.

Lampre will be led by Michele Scarponi, who won the 2011 Giro after Alberto Contador’s dismissal.

Scarponi is a controversial figure, not least because he was suspended by his team earlier this year for alleged involvement with the infamous Dr Ferrari. When you factor in his previous suspension under Operacion Puerto, Scarponi is not far away from pantomime villain status.

However, dodgy history aside, he is a proven performer in the Giro, came third at the Volta a Catalunya and fifth at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, so he is in decent shape, and he has spoken about his desire to win the Giro on his own terms, not because the other guy was busted.

Lampre will also have former winner Damiano Cunego in the mix. Cunego rode aggressively during the classics, without a victory. He did claim the mountains classification at Tirreno-Adriatico, and was sixth in the 2012 Giro.

A powerful climber on his day, Cunego lacks the consistency to win another Grand Tour, instead having a tendency to attack one day and suffer the next. Still, expect another top ten and plenty of screen time from Cunego.

Juan Jose Cobo will be the best hope for Movistar, as Alejandro Valverde sits out in favour of the Tour de France.

Cobo is best known for winning the 2011 Vuelta, but his results since have been underwhelming. If (and it may be a big if) he can find his best form, Cobo will be dangerous, as a climber who time trials competently.

From Radioshack-Nissan, keep your eye on Robert Kiserlovski. The Croatian hasn’t had his best year so far, but his form has been building through the Volta a Catalunya and Tour of Romandie.

With Andy Schleck out of the picture, Kiserlovski stands a good chance of bettering his 10th place at the 2010 Giro. He can time trial passably well for a climber.

Saxo-Tinkoff’s young Polish GC hope Rafal Majka may not be a household name, but if you can remember seeing him absolutely drilling it on the front in the mountains for Alberto Contador in last year’s Vuelta, you’ll understand why he is now leading his team’s Giro squad.

Majka (23) is Saxo-Tinkoff’s version of Richie Porte or Sergio Henao, and given the freedom to ride for himself he’s a good chance of doing what Porte did in his Giro debut in 2010.

The Giro is great for Italians riding for a local pro-Continental team shaking things up.

Vini Fantini-Selle Italia leader Mauro Santambrogio is fresh from a close second place in the Giro del Trentino, and came seventh in Tirreno-Adriatico. At 28, this is clearly his best season so far.

Santambrogio’s experience at Grand Tour level is as a relatively anonymous domestique for Lampre and then BMC. As a leader of a much smaller squad, he is getting far more opportunities to ride for himself, and so far the results have been very good.

Whether he has the ability to stay with the leaders for a full three weeks remains to be seen, but I think he’s a chance of a top-ten place, and perhaps a stage win.

Colombian riders are on a roll at the moment, with Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran killing it at Team Sky, and the aforementioned Betancur at AG2R. The developing riders in Team Colombia should also be a good chance of stage wins.

John Darwin Atapuma and Fabio Duarte are my picks. Both have performed well at Pro Tour level: both have won a stage of the Giro del Trentino (Atapuma in 2011, Duarte in 2012); Atapuma came second in the queen stage of the Tour of California in 2011; and Duarte was 5th overall at the 2012 Tour of California.

Sure, this is not really enough to consider them as strong overall chances just yet, but worth keeping an eye on for a stage win.

These are my second group of riders to watch in the Giro.

Last week we saw some good debate about whether Hesjedal is good enough to win again, whether Bradley Wiggins is interested enough, or whether Vincenzo Nibali is the man to beat. Since then Joaquim Rodriguez has confirmed he won’t be riding the Giro.

What do you reckon? Who have I missed?