Giro d'Italia: Giro d'Italia 2019: All Teams, Riders & Goals (3/3)

Cycling: In the final part of our extensive preview, we report on the Giro d'Italia teams that have their sights set on the overall classification. The top general classification riders are battling for the coveted podium positions. Click here for part one and part two of our comprehensive team preview.

Movistar: The second guard has to deliver now

For many years, Team Movistar has been among the top teams in almost every Grand Tour. The Spanish squad usually performs particularly well in the general classification. However, at the 2019 Giro d'Italia, Movistar will have to do without Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana. Instead, Mikel Landa and Richard Carapaz are expected to deliver a strong overall result. Both are certainly capable of achieving this. After all, Mikel Landa finished third in Italy in 2015 and fourth and seventh in the Tour de France in the past two years. Richard Carapaz, at 25, also boasts a number of impressive results. His breakthrough came at the 2018 Giro d'Italia with fourth place overall and a stage win. So, although the younger of the two also has the quality to reach the podium, Movistar will likely rely on Mikel Landa. Many experts have considered the now 29-year-old a contender for a Grand Tour victory for years.

The two general classification contenders will be supported by a surprisingly weaker group of climbers. Andrey Amador can certainly be described as Mr. Reliable. The 32-year-old is embarking on his 14th Grand Tour and will serve as an important domestique in the mountains. While Lluís Mas, Héctor Carretero , and Antonio Pedrero also possess strengths uphill, it's unlikely this trio will be able to support their leaders on particularly challenging mountain stages. The same applies to the much better-known José Joaquín Rojas and Jasha Sütterlin. They will certainly be the first to be deployed on the slightly hilly terrain, as they are likely to be dropped first on the tough climbs. Furthermore, the German Jasha Sütterlin will have the opportunity to aim for a good result himself in the three time trials.

Astana: The success story should be continued

In the 2019 season, Team Astana has undoubtedly been one of the most successful teams in cycling so far. Accordingly, expectations for the Giro d'Italia are high – and rightly so. With Miguel Angel Lopez, one of the top favorites rides within their ranks. For him, the main objective is to get through the first half of the race unscathed, as he will likely be among the strongest riders at the end of the three weeks, as usual. It is therefore somewhat surprising that he has only been given one true pacemaker , Manuele Boaro . The Italian is known as a strong time trialist and a reliable domestique on the flats. The rest of the Astana team will only truly shine when the roads climb.

Local hero Ion Izagirre should at least be considered a co-captain . He has repeatedly proven his ability to achieve a top overall finish in stage races. However, he has had little luck in Grand Tours so far. His only successful Grand Tour finish was last year's Vuelta a España, where he finished in the top ten. Therefore, despite his good results, he will likely only function as a super-domestique. Astana has several such specialists. With Dario Cataldo, Jan Hirt , and Andrey Zeits , the team boasts three climbers who might even hold a captain's role in other teams. At Astana, they are responsible for supporting their team leaders and can occasionally be deployed as support riders on mountain stages. Pello Bilbao and Davide Villella, with their powerful sprints, are also capable of winning stages. They could even win a medium-difficulty stage from a smaller breakaway in a mountain sprint.

Bahrain – Merida: A strict hierarchy and a lot of experience

In perhaps no other team at the 2019 Giro d'Italia is the hierarchy as clearly visible as in Bahrain-Merida. Vincenzo Nibali is the sole captain. All seven other nominated riders merely serve to support the great champion. This is no surprise, as the "Shark of Messina" has already won the Giro d'Italia twice. He has also triumphed at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. This makes him one of only seven riders to have won each of the Grand Tours at least once. If the captain performs as expected, such a strong focus on one rider can only be advantageous. However, if the leader disappoints, a team can very quickly face serious problems. This could now also apply to Bahrain-Merida, as Vincenzo Nibali is already 34 years old, and many experts fear that he will no longer be able to recapture his former glory.

However, the course of the tour is in the Italian's favor. Experience has shown that Vincenzo Nibali usually only reaches his peak form in the final week. To help him through the first eleven relatively easy stages, he has been assigned two Slovenian experts , Grega Bole and Kristijan Koren, who are perfectly suited for this task. They can maintain a high pace and protect their captain as long as the route remains relatively flat. Once the Giro d'Italia reaches the high mountains, the experienced Valerio Agnoli, Domenico Pozzovivo , and Damiano Caruso will prove themselves to be true super-domestiques. Vincenzo's brother, Antonio Nibali , and the still relatively unknown Andrea Garosiou are also climbers, but their ability to contribute will be limited. All in all, Bahrain-Merida is betting everything on this strict hierarchy. If the plan with Vincenzo Nibali doesn't work as intended, the rest of the team will have to somehow hope for a stage win. We believe Domenico Pozzovivo and Damiano Caruso have the best chances in the high mountains. Bahrain-Merida's biggest advantage is undoubtedly their experience. Apart from Antonio Nibali and Andrea Garosi, all the nominees are over 30 years old.

Mitchelton – Scott: Simon Yates wants to finish it

Simon Yates has a score to settle at the Giro d'Italia. Last season, the Briton looked like the certain winner for much of the race. The powerful climber dominated every mountain stage and was virtually unstoppable – until he cracked three days before the finish. His subsequent overall victory at the Vuelta a España quickly put the defeat behind him. But now he returns to the Italian tour to settle the score. To that end, he's determined to ride less aggressively and conserve energy for the second half. If he succeeds, he'll have to be considered one of the top favorites. Besides his own strength, he can also rely on a strong team. Thanks to Esteban Chaves and Mikel Nieve, Simon Yates will be difficult to isolate. Both are unlikely to leave his side in the mountains until the very end. If they're given freedom, they're also a good bet for stage wins.

Another strong climber, Lucas Hamilton, will be making his Grand Tour debut. The 23-year-old Australian is considered a great talent and is likely to be Simon Yates' third support rider in the mountains. The lineup is rounded out by four professionals who excel on the flats. Jack Bauer and Christopher Juul-Jensen can chase down breakaways and form crosswind relays, as can the strong time trialists Brent Bookwalter and Luke Durbridge. If Mitchelton-Scott's strong climbers reach their peak form in the second half of the race, they will be difficult to beat. However, if this isn't the case, the Giro d'Italia will be a disaster for the team. Their climbers would then be uncompetitive – and the flat stages would already be over.

Jumbo - Visma: Green behind the ears, but swap yellow for pink

The yellow-clad Jumbo-Visma team has, in the eyes of many experts, the absolute top favorite in its ranks: Primož Roglič . The only cause for skepticism is the fact that the Slovenian former ski jumper has already won three week-long stage races this season. This shows that he has been in good form for weeks. Therefore, there are fears that he might run out of steam at the end of the Giro d'Italia. To avoid a similar fiasco to the one that befell Simon Yates last year, Roglič has been given a strong squad to support him. Laurens De Plus, Koen Bouwman, Sepp Kuss , and Antwan Tolhoek are all strong climbers. In good form, they can split a peloton in the high mountains. The problem: they are all very young and inexperienced, aged between 23 and 25. Between them, they have only eight Grand Tours under their belt.

Paul Martens ' experience is therefore all the more important . The German all-rounder is competing in his tenth Grand Tour. Together with Jos Van Emden and Tom Leezer, he will set the pace as an "over-33 trio," especially on flat stages and gently rolling terrain. Nevertheless, the success of Team Jumbo-Visma hinges on Primož Roglič. If he fails to meet expectations in the second half of the Giro, the rest of the team will somehow have to pull a stage win out of the hat. However, this will likely prove impossible due to the climbers' lack of experience and the absence of flat stages. The pressure on Primož Roglič is therefore immense – even within the team.

Ineos: The future is warming up

Anyone who's been asleep for the past few weeks might think that a youth team has been sent to the Giro d'Italia in red and black. The mistake only becomes clear when cycling fans spot Christian Knees . It's actually the former Team Sky. In his 20th Grand Tour, the 38-year-old German will take on a mentoring role. Apart from Salvatore Puccio , the riders in the squad are only between 21 and 25 years old. This fact is surprising for such an ambitious team as Ineos. It will likely be difficult to defend the title won by Chris Froome last year. One thing is certain: we won't see the typical Sky attack from Ineos. Without a dominant general classification rider, this type of tactic makes no sense. However, they don't want to completely disregard the overall classification. After all, there's a tremendous amount of talent in the Ineos squad.

In this regard , Tao Geoghegan Hart, Pavel Sivakov , and Ivan Sosa should be mentioned . The first two have already demonstrated at the Tour of the Alps that they can compete with the strongest professionals in the high mountains. Their overall victory proved that their form is already good. There are some question marks surrounding Ivan Sosa, especially since the young Colombian still has significant weaknesses in time trials. However, all three are said to possess considerable talent and excellent climbing abilities. Those not aiming for the general classification can definitely target a stage win. The same applies to Sebastián Henao, who is far too inconsistent to be a general classification contender, but could emerge as a stage hunter in the high mountains thanks to a considerable time deficit in the second half of the tour. Team Ineos could also consider attempting to win the polka dot jersey (the King of the Mountains). Eddie Dunbar and Jhonatan Narváez are more at home on hilly terrain. Given sufficient freedoms, we might also see them in refugee groups from time to time.

Katusha – Alpecin: You have to get results somehow

A team in crisis: Katusha-Alpecin has been chasing its own ambitions for almost a year and a half now. Only Nils Politt is living up to expectations. However, the German will not be at the start of the Giro d'Italia. Nevertheless, Katusha-Alpecin is relying on a kind of dual leadership. This could prove relatively ineffective, though. General classification rider Ilnur Zakarin last won a race – apart from the Russian Championships – in July 2016. Enrico Battaglin – a mix of puncher and sprinter – has only won once since mid-2014. At least that was last year's Giro d'Italia. But that's where the positive signs end. These two captains will have to contend with absolute top riders at the Italian tour. Due to their high profile, they will hardly be able to fly under the radar.

The remaining nominees don't inspire much optimism either. Solid riders, but under normal circumstances, they're not in contention for a stage win or a classification jersey. Perhaps the closest is climber Daniel Navarro. But the Spaniard is already 35 years old and last won a race in 2014. Jenthe Biermans is considered a fast rider, but he doesn't stand a chance against the top sprinters in mass sprints. He would have to venture into breakaways on flat stages, as would the Austrian Marco Haller and the Swiss Reto Hollenstein. If the terrain gets a bit hillier, it would be advisable to send the two Russians, Viacheslav Kuznetsov and Dmitry Strakhov, into the breakaway. Either way, a successful Giro d'Italia for Katusha-Alpecin would be quite a surprise.

Sunweb: Tom Dumoulin is one of the top favorites again

Team Sunweb is once again counting on Tom Dumoulin this year. The Dutchman is aiming for his second Giro d'Italia victory, following his win in 2017. Last year, he narrowly missed out on the title in Italy, losing to Chris Froome, and in France to Geraint Thomas. A general classification victory for Sky or Ineos is not expected in the 2019 Giro. However, this isn't the only reason Dumoulin is considered one of the top favorites. Three time trials suit the former world champion. The fact that the Giro doesn't really get going until the second half should also work in his favor. He himself has stated that he is in significantly weaker form than in the past two years. If this proves to be the case, Team Sunweb faces a tough three weeks.

The team is once again not among the strongest. Apart from Jan Bakelants, none of them have won a stage in a Grand Tour. They haven't yet distinguished themselves as winners outside of the major stage races either. It's striking that they all share a similar riding style. Besides Jan Bakelants , Chad Haga, Chris Hamilton, Jai Hindley, Robert Power , and Louis Vervaeke also feel most comfortable on gently rolling terrain. On a good day, they can certainly keep up in the high mountains, but none of them are likely to be able to support their captain, Tom Dumoulin, there until the very end. Only Sam Oomen can be expected to do so. The 23-year-old is considered a strong climber and a future Grand Tour winner. Last year, as a domestique for Tom Dumoulin, he finished ninth overall.

Trek – Segafredo: A little bit of everything

Trek-Segafredo is sending a strong mix of riders to the Giro d'Italia. With eight riders selected, the team can influence almost every stage. Bauke Mollema, wearing number 201, will be their captain. The Dutchman is eager to finally finish a Grand Tour without suffering a setback. He last finished seventh in Italy in 2017 and placed in the top ten at the Tour de France every year from 2013 to 2015. While weak in flat time trials, Mollema benefits from the very hilly terrain. To reach the top ten, however, he will need to make the difference in the high mountains. There, he will be able to rely heavily on the support of Gianluca Brambilla . The Italian also has the potential to achieve a good overall result, but he often has at least one off day. Therefore, he will be used as a key support rider and will be tasked with winning stages.

Giulio Ciccone is even more likely to be a co-captain in the overall standings . The Italian is only 24 years old, but is already riding his fourth Giro d'Italia. He is considered a future stage racer, but has yet to consistently prove it. We will probably have to wait for confirmation this year as well. The same applies to Nicola Conci. The 22-year-old is also considered a great talent for stage races. Markel Irizar, however, can no longer be described as a talent . The 39-year-old Spaniard will be tackling his 21st Grand Tour and will use his experience to guide the young professionals on the team. This includes Matteo Moschetti. The sprinter will benefit from Markel Irizar's guidance on the flat stages, particularly when it comes to securing a good position before the mass sprint. Australian Will Clarke and Austrian Michael Gogl can also fill this role. With a bit of luck, Michael Gogl might even be part of a breakaway group on the few hilly stages within the first half of the Giro.