The countdown is on for the first of the three Grand Tours. The centennial edition of the Giro d’Italia kicks off in 12 days on Saturday, May 9 in Venice, and concludes on May 31 in Rome. The Giro will consist of 21 stages including one team time trial, two individual time trials and seven mountain stages.
After the pre-selection of the 12 riders two weeks ago, the final roster of nine athletes, and one as a reserve, is now finalized. It shows a great mix between younger and experienced riders with an average age of 28.3 years.
“We are going for a top result in the GC (General Classification) with the leader and Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre,” said Jean-Paul van Poppel, Sports Director, Cervélo TestTeam. “He will get support from the entire team to reach a top three place in the GC. Another target is a stage win during the 100th anniversary edition of the Giro. With Simon Gerrans, who won a stage last year in the Tour de France and who has shown great performances this spring, the team has a good candidate to win a stage, though we also have Philip Deignan and Hayden Roulston as potential stage winners.”
The Norwegian Sprinter Thor Hushovd, also in the pre-selection for the Giro Team, decided last week to turn his focus on the Tour de France stating: “I had a hard classic season and need a good break. After that, I will start building up my shape slowly for my next big goal, the Tour de France. For the Giro, I would have had to be ready right from the beginning of the race, but I haven’t had enough time to prepare.”
Cervélo TestTeam: Giro d’Italia
Philip Deignan (IRL)
Simon Gerrans (AUS)
Volodymir Gustov (UKR)
Jeremy Hunt (GBR)
Ted King (USA)
Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU)
Serge Pauwels (BEL)
Hayden Roulston (NZL)
Carlos Sastre (ESP)
Reserve
Daniel Lloyd (GBR)
Sports Director
Jean-Paul van Poppel (NED)
Jens Zemke (GER)
Marcello Albasini (SUI)
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