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Tuesday, April 30, 2024

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2023 Tour de France | 2023 Giro d'Italia

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Upcoming racing:

• May 1: Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt
• May 4: GP du Morbihan
• May 4 - 26: Giro d'Italia

Latest completed racing:

• April 21 - 28: Tour of Turkey
• April 23 - 28: Tour de Romandie
• April 26 - 28: Vuelta Asturias
• April 21: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• April 15 - 19: Tour of the Alps
• April 17: La Flèche Wallone
• April 14: Amstel Gold Race

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Teams release Giro d'Italia rosters

Here's Team Jayco AlULa Giro news:

Team Jayco AlUla are ready to line up for the 2024 Giro d’Italia with a mixed team, full of talent and experience, bringing multiple options to the table.

Ready for a strong GC showing
Last year’s seventh place finisher Eddie Dunbar will once again lead the team, with the intention of repeating last year’s top-ten performance. Alongside the Irishman, Australian champion Luke Plapp has shown that he is the complete athlete, a strong TT rider looking to make his mark in the two individual time trials on offer.

Eddie Dunbar won the 2022 Coppi-Bartali.

Eddie Dunbar:
“I’m looking forward to returning to the Giro and trying to repeat, if not improve last year’s good result. My preparation has been pretty ok, maybe not quite as well as last year but it will be nice to go back to the Giro fighting again. This year’s course is very tough right from the start, the first two stages will probably be two GC days, and so you have to be ready from the very beginning. This year there will also be some gravel roads, the classic long alpine climbs and two challenging time trials. Basically, the usual hard and demanding Giro.”

Two strong and experienced Italian’s line-up aside the duo, with last year’s stage winner Filippo Zana looking for a repeat performance. He is hungry to show his talent uphill and will form part of the support squad in the mountains together with recent Tour of the Alps stage winner Alessandro De Marchi. The veteran will be the Australian outfit’s road captain, crossing over between the mountains and sprint groups.

Brent Copeland – General Manager:
“It will be exciting to be there at the start next Saturday for one of the world’s most fascinating races. The Giro officially starts on 4th May but in reality, it started many months ago. Riders and staff have worked for months to prepare for this event, which has always given us great satisfaction over the years. I’m proud of the work we’ve done together and I’m sure our team will stand out in each of the 21 stages. We have built a team that brings together highly experienced men and young athletes with great talent. We’re finally here, it’s time to leave the verdict to the roads.”

Searching for the sprints:
Multiple Giro d’Italia stage winner Caleb Ewan brings the speed to the team, knowing what it takes to win Grand Tour stages, with already 11x to his name. This year’s Giro start list is without a doubt one of the best-ever sprint line-ups of any Grand Tour we have ever seen in recent year, making any potential victory even sweeter.

The 29-year-old Australian will be supported by two great experts when it comes to fast finishes with Slovenian rider Luka Mezgec, who will be a trusted part of the lead-out train together with the German powerhouse Max Walscheid. Under the pressure of hectic finals, Walscheid is one of the best in the business and ready to get the job done.

Rounding out the stellar squad is experienced Australia Michael Hepburn who will cross over into both groups, bringing skills to support on the most demanding stages and in those that end in a bunch sprint.

Caleb Ewan:
“I’m thrilled to return to the Giro after two years of absence. It’s a race that I have always liked and I have some great memories having previously won five stages. This year, I started my season with the Australian races, and then I won a stage in Oman before racing Tirreno-Adriatico. This past month and a half I have been preparing for the Giro with a training camp at altitude and I will return to the races next Wednesday in Frankfurt before heading to Italy. I can count on the help of two great professionals like Luka (Mezgec) and Max (Walscheid) and I believe we can do good things.”

Another tough edition
For 2024, Turin will host the “Grande Partenza” this coming Saturday, 4th May, with the race set to finish in Rome on Sunday 26th May. With 21 days of racing, 3,400 total kilometres and approximately 45,000 metres of altitude gain, it will once again be a demanding edition with spring weather across Europe showing to be as unpredictable as ever.

David McPartland – Sport Director:
“The Giro d’Italia has arrived and here we are ready to begin our assault on this very special race. On the GC front we are aiming to finish inside the top 10 and on the stages front our goal is to win at least one stage with Caleb and another from the various other guys we have that are capable of stage win, like in the TT with Luke (Plapp) and in the mountains or from a breakaway. Months of work have gone in to preparing for this race from all our Giro riders and staff.  We have had a lot of success over the years at the Giro and our aim is to simply to add to that again in the 2024 edition”.

Here's the Giro news from Team Lidl-Trek:

With less than one week to go before the introductory stage of the 107th edition of the Giro d’Italia (140 explosive kilometers between Venaria Reale and Torino), Lidl-Trek reveals the team who will tackle the upcoming 21 stages that lead to Rome, on May 26th.

• Andrea Bagioli (Italy, 25), Giro d’Italia rookie.
• Simone Consonni (Italy, 29), sixth participation.
• Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Eritrea, 29), fifth participation.
• Daan Hoole (Netherlands, 25), second participation.
• Juan Pedro Lopez (Spain, 26), second participation. In 2022, he wore the Maglia Rosa for 10 days and won the white jersey as the Best Young Rider.
• Jonathan Milan (Italy, 23), second participation. In his first experience at the Giro in 2023, he won a stage (plus four second places) and the points jersey.
• Jasper Stuyven (Belgium, 32), second participation. At his first Giro in 2017, he finished with three stage podiums.
• Edward Theuns (Belgium, 32), second participation.

Lidl-Trek will be led by team Sports Directors Gregory Rast, Yaroslav Popovych, Michael Schar and Adriano Baffi. We asked the leading director of the group, Rast, to introduce the roles and goals of a team that, without a doubt, heads to the start with lots of motivation.

Jonathan Milan winning 2023 Giro stage two. Sirotti photo

“With a sprinter like Milan, we will be working hard for every possible fast finish. He will be our leader for the sprints and winning the points jersey is something he can try to repeat again this year. We are aware of his potential but, of course, we can’t ignore the strong competition that, we’re sure, will give us a hard time. For this reason, Jonny will be supported by Theuns and Consonni, that is the train which we saw working well together in the first part of the season. The experience of Eddie and Simone will be key for Milan.

“Another key rider for Milan and the Team will be Stuyven. His condition at the end of March, when he was involved in the crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen, was super good. The time to recover that form for the Giro has been minimal, but both the Team and Jasper had a lot of motivation to have him at the start. The first week may be useful for him to regain any lost confidence, then he’ll be able to aim for his own chances as well as help in the lead out for Jonny.”

“The man who, more than anyone else, has proven that he is ready for the Giro is Juanpe Lopez. His victory at the Tour of the Alps speaks for itself. Italian climbs suit him well, as he has already proven in 2022, and I am convinced that he can chase stage success on the toughest days. Then, day after day, he can keep a look to the evolution of the fight for the GC. I believe this can be a goal to chase as we go along, also considering the presence of two long time trials that are decisive for any GC talk.

“Bagioli has all the makings of a valuable wild card in the mixed stages. I see several opportunities for him, and the roads of the Giro can be the ideal place to showcase his talent.

“Last but, of course, not least, Ghebreigzabhier and Hoole, who we will entrust the main role of helper. Both riders, in strength and character, can play an important role in managing the most difficult stages. We are aspiring to put on a bold performance as a team in this Giro, we want to create multiple opportunities for success, and both Amanuel and Daan have the skills to contribute in very important ways.”

Team Bahrain Victorious posted the Giro preview:

With the early part of the year behind us, May sees the start of cycling’s ‘Grand Tour’ trilogy for 2024, kicking off as usual with the Giro d’Italia: “The world’s hardest race, in the world’s most beautiful place.” The 107th edition of ‘the race for pink’ sets off from just outside Turin on Saturday, and travels 3,400 kilometres over 21 stages before finishing outside Rome’s famous Colosseum on Sunday May 26th.

As we have come to expect from the Giro, the route is heavily backloaded, with the five toughest stages coming in the last seven days. Compared to previous iterations, this year’s course is shorter and with less climbing overall, but with two time trials and over 44,650 metres of ascending to be tackled, this is as challenging a three weeks as you would expect.

Leading Team Bahrain Victorious and making his Giro debut in his home country, is Antonio Tiberi. The 22 year old arrives having just won the youth classification at the Tour of the Alps, where he finished in the top ten on every stage. The Italian has also produced some stunning performances in time trials over recent months.

Antonio Tiberi finishes 2023 Vuelta a España stage 16. Sirotti photo

“This is my first Giro, so as an Italian cyclist I’m in dreamworld really! It’s been an ambition for me since I started riding a bike, so I’m really emotional to be with the fans – on the roadside and also those watching on TV. I am a proud Italian, and these are the roads of my country, so I am excited and super emotional about being here, as well as very proud that the team have the faith in me to make me leader”

Alongside the youngster will be the experienced head of his compatriot Damiano Caruso, who will be our road captain. Caruso is a former stage winner, and makes his 7th appearance, having finished 2nd in 2021 and 4th last year.

As well as 72km of individual time trials, there will be six summit finishes, a ‘Strade Bianche’ style gravel stage in Tuscany, and potentially as many as nine opportunities for bunch sprints. The opening stage already offers a chance for the GC men to get stuck in, with three categorised climbs including the C2 Colle Maddalena which crests 22km from the finish in Torino. The first pink jersey of 2024 will then lead the peloton to a C1 mountaintop finish at the Santuario di Oropa on Sunday. Stages 3 – 7 are either flat or undulating, and plenty of riders will sense the possibility of a prestigious addition to their ‘palmares’.

Bahrain have three in the line-up for days such as these: Phil Bauhaus will be the designated sprinter, and takes to the startline for the 3rd time. The German would love to add a Grand Tour stage to his collection, which includes a win at Tirreno Adriatico last month. Supporting Bauhaus in his lead-out, and providing flat support for our GC riders, will be Jasha Sütterlin and Andrea Pasqualon. Both were crucial 12 months ago as Bahrain took the ‘Maglia Ciclamino’ points jersey on the final podium.

Lead Sports Director in Italy is Gorazd Štangelj, who believes the racing will be full gas from the beginning:

“It starts hard from day 1. And day 2. Then S3 is a clear sprint. After that everything is very open. You can lose precious time early on, so we need to be in the right place and invest in the GC from Saturday, while also making sure we can be there for Phil. The second week, while not in any way easy, is more straightforward, but week 3 is extremely difficult.

The ‘Queen Stage’, or ‘Tappone’ in Italian, is stage 15, the day before the second rest day. It is also the longest stage, and has over 5000 metres of elevation gain. After ⅔ of the 220km comes the legendary Mortirolo, before a double Cat 1 summit finish to Livigno.  The highest point of the race – the ‘Cima Coppi’ – comes early on the following day at the top of the Passo Stelvio.

With six mountain stages, climbing support will be vital, and comes in the form of Edoardo Zambanini, Torstein Træn, and Rainer Kepplinger. It is a first Giro for both the Norwegian and the Austrian, while the Italian made it to Rome last year as TBV took the ‘Best Team’ trophy.

Štangelj knows that the three weeks will require clear heads from the off:

“We need to balance the strengths we have with us in Bauhaus on the flat, and Tiberi/Caruso in the mountains. We would like to win stages with Phil and also do well on GC. We have the tools and the riders to compete in the sprint stages and overall. We don’t want to split our aims too much, so we will try to use other teams’ strengths to our benefit. On top of that, Rainer is a bit of a wild card; nobody knows him that much so we may be able to spring a surprise with him.”

The race has a clear favourite in the form of world number one Tadej Pogačar (UAE), but this year promises to be one of the most open editions in years. Štangelj concludes:

“We dream about a podium with Antonio or Damiano, but we will have to see how things turn out each day. Anything can happen, and you need focus from the beginning. Everyone’s work will be cut out from day 1, and we have a team to compete every day.”

The Giro d’Italia starts on Saturday from Venaria Reale at 13:50 CET, and May the 4th be with us!

And here's the Giro news from Team Bora-hansgrohe:

On the road from Turin to Rome, the search for the successor to Jai Hindley and Primož Roglič will get underway. Dani Martínez will be the GC leader for BORA - hansgrohe, fighting for a top result. Three years ago, he already achieved it when he placed 5th overall.

Daniel Martinez after stage two of the 2024 Volta ao Algarve.

Enrico Gasparotto, Sports Director for BORA - hansgrohe at the Giro d'Italia:
"We want to achieve a top 5 in the GC with Dani. He performed very well at the start of the season and apart from the crash at Strade Bianche, his build-up to the Giro has been solid. He trained very well in Colombia, and we are optimistic that he will be in the mix for a good place in the GC."

It’s not only the mountain stages that are in focus, with BORA - hansgrohe heading to the Giro d'Italia with another goal. Danny van Poppel will be targeting the sprint stages. On paper, there are up to eight opportunities this year.

Enrico Gasparotto:
"We see many sprint options this year - some are not easy with a climb in the finale. That's one of Danny's strengths. He's in good shape and with Ryan as a lead-out, we're in a very good position for these stages."

This year's Giro d'Italia is a special edition that opens new options for stage hunters. This calls for riders with versatile skills to take advantage of these opportunities to win a stage.

Enrico Gasparotto:
"We are counting on Dani and Danny as our leaders and many versatile stage hunters as a backup. It's not unrealistic that the race will be open for breakaways in the second and third weeks. But these stages are mountainous and that's why we're relying on riders who can climb and get results."

Giovanni Aleotti is returning to his home Grand Tour for the fourth consecutive year with BORA - hansgrohe. It's the third Corsa Rosa for Patrick Gamper, and after 2018, Max Schachmann is set to make his Giro comeback. Back then he took a stage win in Italy. In addition, an experienced pro and a youngster celebrate their premiere at the Giro d'Italia: Jonas Koch can put his experience to good use on any terrain – Florian Lipowitz will ride his first Grand Tour ever and he will be a great support on the climbs.

BORA - hansgrohe x Giro d'Italia 2024:
Giovanni Aleotti, Patrick Gamper, Jonas Koch, Florian Lipowitz, Dani Martínez, Ryan Mullen, Max Schachmann, Danny van Poppel

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