The new Russian team Katusha will be leaning on the talents of Italian Filippo Pozzato to win stages in the 100th edition of the Giro d’Italia which starts next Saturday.
Australian Robbie McEwen, normally good for stage victories in the Grand Tour, has been left off the team due to a series of crashes.
“Robbie has not yet completely recovered from his fall at the Grand Prix de l’Escaut,” said Katuysha sporting director Serge Parsani.
“We couldn’t take the risk of losing him during the early stages. He will rest and prepare himself for the Tour de France.”
Team Katusha for the Giro d’Italia:
Filippo Pozzato (ITA), Evgeni Petrov (RUS), Christian Pfannberger (AUT), Ben Swift (GBR), Mikhail Ignatyev (RUS), Pavel Brutt (RUS), Serguei Klimov (RUS), Nikita Eskov (RUS), Luca Mazzanti (ITA)