- [Narrator] With the 101st Giro d'Italia on the horizon
we've picked 10 riders who could animate this year's race.
Coming off the back of a momentous 2017 in which
he won both the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana
Chris Froome has set his sights on the Giro.
A race which he's not started since his first season
with Team Sky, all the way back in 2010.
His activity both on and off the bike
has been well publicised this year.
With the case of his adverse analytical finding
for salbutamol at last year's Vuelta still unresolved
it's a situation which is less than ideal
for Froome, Team Sky, the Giro and cycle sports as a whole.
Putting that to one side for a second though
as we focus on his 2018 results,
it's been an understated season so far.
But we've seen a glimpse of his best form
with a defiant display at the Tour of the Alps
in which he finished just off the podium in fourth.
Froome has intentionally scaled back
his race days in recent years in order to reach peak
form at the crucial moments of the Grand Tours.
So, look for him to come into his element
in the brutally hard final week.
All of Tom Dumoulin's promise as a potential
GC rider materialized this time last year
when he landed the first Grand Tour of his career.
That momentous 100th Giro turned out to be
his only three week race in 2017.
But he switched focus and capped off an exceptional year
by taking both individual and team time trial titles
at the World Championships in Norway.
His ability to summon incredible power
on the climbs as well as on the time trial bike
is what makes him such an exciting prospect.
At 27, he seems to be approaching the peak
of his abilities and dare we say it,
could prove to be a genuine adversary
to Chris Froome over the next few years.
Incredibly, the Dutchman will go into the Giro
with just 12 days of racing under his belt in 2018.
Thibaut Pinot rode his maiden Giro d' Italia last year
and with great success.
He finished just off the GC podium in fourth
and took a big stage win into Asiago on the penultimate day.
Clearly not satisfied as being pigeonholed
as a Tour de France big stage hunter
the 2018 Giro offers Pinot a golden opportunity
to have another crack at a Grand Tour podium.
He's prepared well by reeling in
overall honors at the Tour of the Alps.
Is the Maglia Rosa a realistic goal this year?
The 34 kilometer time trial on stage 16
may be where the Frenchman could come unstuck.
Especially when he's up against Dumoulin and Froome.
But we can certainly imagine he'll be
strong enough on the climbs to compete
for a spot on the podium.
Fabio Aru returns to take on his home Grand Tour
after a two year absence.
He was unable to line up at last year's 100th
edition of the Giro after a training crash
just a month before the start.
And will no doubt be hoping to make up
for that disappointment in 2018.
It's incredible to think that neither
Froome, Dumoulin, Pinot, or Aru have found
a single stage victory between them this year.
But we know that the pros of today
are more than capable of training their way
into top shape without much in the way of actual racing.
He's been more than a match for his big rivals,
Pinot and Froome, at the Tour of the Alps.
And a spot on the podium in Rome is a distinct possibility.
24 year old Miguel Angel Lopez could be
this year's surprise package in the Grand Tours.
He surprised everyone by taking a very tough
edition of the Tour de Suisse in 2016
and followed up with an impressive display
at the 2017 Vuelta where he took two stage wins
on route to 8th place overall,
outperforming his now former teammate at Astana, Fabio Aru.
In contrast to his other main rivals,
Lopez has 24 days of racing under his belt in 2018
and has taken a couple of stage wins along the way,
including the second stage of the Tour of the Alps.
It will be the young Colombian's first opportunity
to lead an Astana team that is teeming with talented riders.
And we're looking forward to seeing
what sort of heroic superman Lopez can accomplish.
While twin brother Adam set his sights on
the Tour de France, Simon Yates brings some
promising form into what will be his first Giro d'Italia.
He's performed admirably at both the
Volta a Catalunya and Paris-Nice this year,
taking a stage win at both and coming
agonizingly close to the overall at Paris-Nice,
finishing four seconds behind Marc Soler.
Still only 25 years of age, Yates has already
placed among the top 10 overall at
le Tour and la Vuelta and he'll have
aspirations of a podium here with the steep climbs
of the Giro suiting his diminutive 59 kilogram frame.
We're not too sure how the Mitchelton Scott
management will bow into the aspirations of
Yates, Estaban Chavez, and new signing Mikel Nieve
but it nonetheless looks like a
very strong team will be lining up in Israel.
For the sprinters brave enough to suffer through
the mountain stages there will be plenty
of chances for multiple stage wins on the flatter days.
We're at a loss to figure out how
such a talented rider as Elia Viviani
has only won a single Grand Tour stage.
But we're willing to bet he'll get at least
one more before the end of May.
He's been a stellar performer in track cycling
for a number of years but 2018 could be
the year he breaks through on the road.
Having finished a three year spell at Team Sky
where he struggled for a spot in the Grand Tours,
Viviani made the switch to Quick Step Floors
and comes into the Giro brimming with confidence.
Both he and his team have dominated the early season
with the Italian adding six wins to Quick Step's
staggering tally of 27.
In the absence of a real GC threat at the Giro,
the Wolf Pack's objectives will surely be
centered around bagging as many
sprint wins as possible for Viviani.
Challenging his compatriot in the sprints
will be Giacomo Nizzolo.
He's raced every single edition of the Giro
since 2012 and he's been about as consistent
as he can be without actually taking a stage win.
In fact, he's finished 14 stages on the podium
but he's yet to take his place on the top step.
Although he has one the points classification twice.
He may not have a dedicated lead out train
for this year's Giro but his undoubted pedigree
in this race combined with a field that lacks
the likes of Sagan, Kittel, or Greipel
means there should be ample opportunity
for Nizzolo to shine.
New Zealander George Bennett has been improving
year on year and a real breakthrough performance
could be on the cards at the 101st Giro.
He's taken on some of the toughest stage races
on the calendar in preparation and
has proven himself among the best
with top 10s in Tirreno-Adriatico,
the Volta a Catalunya, and the Tour of the Alps.
A very strong field means Bennet will have
his work cut out but a place somewhere inside
the top 10 will be a realistic objective for the Kiwi.
In his younger years he was touted as the next Cadel Evans.
But Rohan Dennis has instead honed his
focus in time trialing, at least for now.
And it's safe to say, it's a decision
that's worked out in his favor.
On his day he can beat Froome and Dumoulin against the clock
and he'll be targeting the Maglia Rosa
on the opening time trial in Jerusalem
as well as the 34.2 kilometer test on stage 16.
He can hold his own on the climbs too
so there's a good chance he could keep the
leader's jersey until at least the second rest day.
Whether he's seriously considering contesting
the overall will probably depend on how things
pan out for him over the first week.
We've got the makings of an absolute classic Giro.
There are so many other names that we could have
featured in this top 10, so we'd love to get your opinion.
Who will win the Maglia Rosa?
And who is your outside tip for a cheeky stage win?
Let us know in the comments section down below.
If you missed this week's GCN show you can catch up
by clicking just down here.