The US Garmin-Transations team has announced its line-up for the Giro d’Italia, which begins in the Netherlands’ capital Amsterdam on Saturday. Christian Vande Velde returns to the race that last year saw him break five vertebrae, effectively ending his chance to be fully competitive at the Tour de France. The team also includes strong time triallists David Millar, World under23 champion Jack Bobridge and Canadian champion Svein Tuft.
The team also boasts one of the season’s fastest sprinters in Tyler Farrar, backed up by former New Zealand champion Julian Dean. Also included in the team is 22-year-old Australian Cameron Meyer in already his second appearance at the race.
“Our squad is versatile,” said the team’s director sportif Matt White, “so we’ll be looking for every opportunity for potential stage wins and with the team we have at this race, even a day or two in the coveted Maglia Rosa is a realistic goal.”
Traditionally a strong team against the clock, Garmin-Transitions’ best chance to put one of its riders in the lead comes in the stage 4 team time trial. The team – then called Garmin-Chipotle – won the opening team time trial in the 2008 race, giving Vande Velde a day in pink. It also finished second in both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia team time trials last year, behind Astana and Columbia-HTC respectively.
Besides the team’s obvious chances for stage victories, Garmin-Transitons aims to make sure that it is noticed during the three-week race. “The Giro always has one of the most competitive fields of the season,” White added, “and with our mix of youth and experience we also plan on animating this historic race.”
Garmin-Transitions for the Giro d’Italia:
Jack Bobridge, Julian Dean, Tyler Farrar, Murilo Fischer, Dan Martin, Cameron Meyer, David Millar, Svein Tuft and Christian Vande Velde