- There are some huge names competing
at this year's Giro d'Italia
but who are the riders
who could spring a surprise on a stage?
A little bit like Primoz Roglic
and Giulio Ciccone did at last year's event.
Well, coming up are GCN's outsiders to watch
at this year's race.
Roglic's team mate Victor Campenaerts
made his grand tour debut at the Vuelta a Espana
at the end of last year,
and he makes our list curtesy of his time trialling ability.
He is in fact one of the few riders
to get the better of Alejandro Valverde so far this year.
He pipped him by a single second to win the time trial stage
of the Ruta del Sol all the way back in February.
He's a former under-23 European champion in the discipline,
and the current Belgian national time trial champion,
so watch out for him at the two individual tests
at this year's race.
Still just 22 years of age, Jakub Mareczko
of Wilier-Triestina
has already got 22 pro wins to his name.
He made his debut at the Giro d'Italia last year
but it was far from successful.
He didn't figure at all in the opening sprint stages
up in the Netherlands,
and then he was forced to withdraw from the race
on stage five through respiratory problems.
Now, he has won a lot already
but those have generally been in smaller races,
and that is something that he'll be looking to change
in the near future.
And if he is at full health this year
a stage win is certainly not out of the question.
You would think that a stage win at last year's race
would be enough to have your name
struck off an outsider's list like we're going through today
but Alexander Foliforov of Gazprom-Rusvelo
is still not a big name.
His win in the uphill time trial last year
was a huge surprise
but those that rated him as an amateur
in the under-23 ranks were quick to say
that he's always been exceedingly good
at one-off efforts on the climbs.
Without an uphill time trial this year though
he will have to hope he can get himself
into the breakaways on the stages that most suit him.
Ryan Gibbons is a 22-year-old South African rider
in his first year as a professional
riding for Team Dimension Data.
And what a start he has had to his pro career.
Back in February he won a stage
and the overall classification at the Tour of Langkawi,
and along the way he took a further five
top five placings on the stages.
He was nothing short of consistent.
Now, it remains to be seen
exactly which direction Gibbons takes his career.
There's no doubt he's very fast in the sprint stage
but he also sees himself with a future
in the single-day classics.
Nevertheless, it is in the flat stages
that we see him shining at the Giro.
Hugh Carthy was offered his first year in the world tour
by Cannondale-Drapac for 2017, and he earned that
through some very big performances last year.
Back then he was riding for the smaller Spanish outfit
Caja Rural, and he won the Vuelta Asturias overall,
plus at the Route de Sud he was climbing
with none other than Nairo Quintana.
No wonder he had a few offers on the table
for this year.
Thus far he has been unable to take a victory in 2017
but he has been consistently strong throughout,
and we think if he gets himself
into the right breakaway in the mountains
he could well take a stage victory.
As could his teammate Michael Woods.
Rusty as he's known to his teammates
had to cut a promising middle distance running career
short through injury
but running's loss has been cycling's gain.
He certainly excels on the short, steep and explosive climbs
and he will find that type of terrain in abundance
in Italy.
At 20 years of age Vincenzo Albanese
is going to be one of the youngest riders on the start line
of this year's race
but he certainly merits his place on his Bardiani squad.
Last year he took some impressive victories as an amateur
including a stage win at the Tour de l'Avenir
where he also won the points classification overall,
plus a win in front of some decent pros
at the Trofeo Matteotti where he was riding
for the Italian national team.
Now, he's not a sprinter nor is he a climber
but if he manages to get himself up the road
in a group on one of those rolling, hilly intermediate days
he's gonna be a hard man to beat.
Team Dimension Data's Omar Fraile
could not have gotten his debut Giro d'Italia
off to a better start last year.
He won the KOM jersey on stage two,
and that's in fact the competition
he'd won overall at the Vuelta a Espana the previous year.
However, it all then went wrong.
He had a crash on stage four, got a fever that evening
and didn't mange to finish the following day's stage.
Fraile loves to go on the attack though.
We've seen it loads of times at the grand tours
but we saw it very recently at Liege-Bastogne-Liege,
one of the biggest one-day races in the world.
Firstly, he was in a small group,
and lastly, he attacked on his own very close to the finish.
That proves that he is a man on form,
and also that he is not afraid to go on the attack
in front of the biggest riders in the world.
We can expect to see him up the road at the Giro
on more than one occasion,
I can almost guarantee you that.
Okay, those are our outsiders to watch
at this year's event
but if there any smaller names
that you're particularly looking forward to seeing
throughout the stages,
please let us know in the comments section down below
and let us know why in particular
we should be watching out for them.
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Down here is the big GCN Giro d'Italia preview,
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and also down here are GCN's top eight riders to watch
for the GC.