Top 10 sprinters to look out for at the Giro d'Italia
The mountainous Giro d'Italia is a tough beast to tackle for heavyweight sprinters, and this
year will be no different. However, with at least 5 stages looking set to finish in a
bunch sprint, they will have their chances. Here are 10 fast men to watch out for at the
2014 Giro.
Marcel Kittel
In the absence of both Cavendish and Greipel, Giant-Shimano's Marcel Kittel is the standout
sprinter at this year's race. It will be his first participation at the Giro, and he will
be looking to add his name to an illustrious list of riders who have won a stage at all
three of the Grand Tours.
Unlike some of the others on our list, Kittel also benefits from not having a GC rider on
his team - all of his teammates will be at his disposal on the flat days, which will
make him an even harder man to beat.
Elia Viviani
It was a frustrating three weeks at last years Giro for Elia Viviani. He came close to a
stage win on three occasions, but was always bettered by an in-form Mark Cavendish.
The Cannondale rider dearly wants to take that elusive stage win in his home Grand Tour.
He has taken one win already this year, at the Coppi e Bartali, but he will face stiffer
opposition here.
Ben Swift
After a difficult season last year, 'Swifty' has made a great start to 2014, taking stage
wins in the Coppi e Bartali and Tour of the Basque Country.
Swift's climbing ability is second-to-none for a sprinter, and so we can expect to see
he and Team Sky ripping it up on stage 7 to Foligno, in an effort to drop the other sprinters.
Michael Matthews
Australian team Orica-GreenEdge have given the nod to Michael Matthews over Matt Goss
as their designated sprinter for this year's race. Matthews has had a strong start to the
year, helping Simon Gerrans to victory at the Tour Down Under, and then winning the
Vuelta Ciclista a la Rioja and a stage of the Basque Country on his return to Europe.
Like Swift, Matthews is a very good climber for somebody so fast, so will be looking to
capitalize on the rolling days if Kittel is dropped.
Alessandro Petacchi
Whilst he's now 40 years old, Alessandro Petacchi hasn't stopped winning. He took victory at
the GP Pino Cerami just a month ago, and will go into the Giro as Omega Pharma-QuickStep's
number one sprinter.
Petacchi has won an incredible 27 stages of this race, the first of those now 11 years
ago, and back in 2004, he managed to win 9 of the 19 road stages.
He's lost a little of his speed since those heady days, but will be using his experience
to try and add to that tally.
Tyler Farrar
It's been a tough couple of years for Garmin-Sharp's Tyler Farrar, who returns to the Giro for
the first time since 2011, when his close friend Wouter Weylandt tragically died on
stage 3.
Farrar would love to pay tribute to Weylandt, himself a stage winner at the Giro, by winning
a stage.
His best result so far this year is a 2nd place at the Scheldeprijs, behind Kittel.
Roberto Ferrari
Lampre's fast man Roberto Ferrari is perhaps best known for swinging across the road on
stage 3 in 2012, wiping out Mark Cavendish in the process.
Ferrari was loathe to apologise to Cav, and to add insult to injury, beat the Manxman
to victory on stage 11 into Montecatini Terme.
Ferrari has yet to take a win this year, with a 2nd place in the Volta a Catalunya his best
so far.
Nacer Bouhanni
Former French champion Nacer Bouhanni, like Viviani, was foiled by Mark Cavendish at last
year's race, with 2nd place on stage 12 his best result. However, he has said that he
is on better form this year, and will be looking to give Kittel a run for his money on the
sprint stages.
He has already has 5 wins to his name this season and at 23, Bouhanni is looking to take
his maiden Grand Tour stage victory.
Sonny Colbrelli
When will Sonny Colbrelli take his first pro victory? He has been in the top 6 at no fewer
than 13 races this year, but has yet to stand on top of the podium.
Colbrelli doesn't have the speed of Kittel, but, like Swifty and Matthews, can get over
some of the smaller climbs. Where better to take your maiden pro win than your home Grand
Tour? One thing is for sure, Colbrelli and his Bardiani team will be 100% motivated.
Giacomo Nizzolo
Giacomo Nizzolo has one race win so far in 2014 - a stage of the Tour de San Luis in
January.
The Trek rider is another who was foiled by Mark Cavendish at last year's race, finishing
2nd to him on stage 13 into Cheraso.
Nizzolo can rely on the very experienced Danilo Hondo to pilot him through the finishes.