The Belgian Quick Step team sends a squad to the Giro D’Italia this weekend without an overall contendor. The riders selected will instead be seeking stage victories throughout the three-week race.
The one obvious protected rider will be young Belgian sprinter Wouter Weylandt who will be going for victory in the sprint stages. The other eight riders will be there to get into the breaks and go for stage wins there.
“Our team is a mix of expert athletes and young athletes hungry to prove their worth,” explaind team director sportif Davide Bramati. “In the stages dedicated to sprinters the guys will race in support of Wouter Weylandt. In the other stages we will try to attack. The goal of the team is to make the most out of timely opportunities and to try to win a stage.”
Many of the riders in the team have a great deal of Giro d’Italia experience. Matteo Tossato won his one and only stage in the race back in 2001; Marco Velo will be riding his twelfth Giro, usually as a lead out man for such illustrious names as Alessandro Petacchi and so will be invaluable to Weylandt. Addy Engels holds the record for the most Giros ridden by a Dutchman with eight; he will particularly enjoy the first few days in his native Netherlands.
Mauro Facci will be one rider to watch in the breakaways, as he was the rider who clocked up most kilometres out in front in last year’s Giro. Despite his years of experience, Frenchman Jérôme Pineau will be riding the Giro for the first time.
Quick Step team for the Giro d’Italia:
Dario Cataldo, Addy Engels, Mauro Facci, Jérôme Pineau, Francesco Reda, Branislau Samoilau, Matteo Tosatto, Marco Velo, Wouter Weylandt.
Directors:
Davide Bramati, Rik Verbrugghe.