TOUR OF ITALY | 04/30/2024 | 08:11
There Lidl Trek has designed a multifaceted team for the Giro d’Italia: those called up are Andrea Bagioli, debutant at the Giro d’Italia; Simone Consonni at the sixth participation; Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier at the fifth participation; Daan Hoole, Juan Pedro Lopez (10 days in the pink jersey and eventually the white jersey in 2022), Jasper Stuyven, Edward Theuns and Jonathan Milan (cyclamen jersey last year) in his second participation. Leading the team the team’s sporting directors Gregory Rast, Yaroslav Popovych, Michael Schar and Adriano Baffi.
We asked the group’s top director, Gregory Rastto present us with the roles and objectives of a team that, without a doubt, presents itself at the start with many motivations.
SUPER MILAN. «We will present ourselves at the start with a solid and experienced team, capable of pursuing the primary objective we have for this Giro: win stages. With a sprinter like Milan, we will work hard for every possible fast finish. He will be our leader in the sprints and winning the cyclamen jersey is something he can try to repeat again this year. We are aware of its potential but, obviously, we cannot ignore the strong competition which, we are sure, will give us a hard time. For this reason Jonny will be joined by Theuns and Consonni, that is, the train we saw working well together in the first part of the season. Eddie and Simone’s experience will be fundamental for Milan.”
STUYVEN RETURNS. And again: «Another fundamental rider for Milan and for the team will be Stuyven. His condition at the end of March, when he was involved in the accident at Dwars Door Vlaanderen, was super good. There was little time to regain that form ahead of the Giro, but both the Team and Jasper had a lot of motivation to have him at the start. The first week will be useful for him to regain his lost confidence, then he will be able to focus on his own opportunities as well as giving Jonny a helping hand.”
AMBITIONS LOPEZ. «The man who more than any other has shown that he is ready for the Giro is Juanpe Lopez. His victory at the Tour of the Alps speaks for itself. The Italian climbs suit him well, as he has already demonstrated in 2022, and I am convinced that he can chase stage success on the most difficult days. Then, day after day, he will be able to keep an eye on the evolution of the fight for the general classification. I believe that this could be an objective to pursue as we progress, also given the presence of two long time trials which are decisive for any ranking discussion.
BAGIOLI DEBUT. «Bagioli has all it takes to become a valuable wild card in the mixed. I see several opportunities for him and the streets of the Giro can be the ideal place to showcase his talent. Last but not least, Ghebreigzabhier and Hoole, to whom we will entrust the main role of helpers. Both riders, due to their strength and character, can play an important role in managing the most difficult stages. We aspire to deliver a courageous performance as a team in this Giro, we want to create multiple opportunities for success and both Amanuel and Daan have the capabilities to contribute in very important ways.”
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