Mollema will lead Trek-Segafredo, Israel Cycling Academy support Cimolai
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Rafal Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) on the attack(Image credit: Getty Images)
Rafal Majka climbs toward Balcón de Bizkaia during stage 17 at the Vuelta(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Bauke Mollema takes third at the Trofeo Andratx-Lloseta(Image credit: Getty Images)
Davide Cimolai (Israel Cycling Academy) beats Eduard Michael Grosu (Delko Marseille) to win stage to in Vuelta a Castillo y Leon(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Trek-Segafredo announced its team for the Giro d'Italia on Monday, naming a well-rounded squad behind Dutchman Bauke Mollema for the 102nd edition of the race.
Mollema said he is motivated for a good result. "I am looking forward to my third Giro. My preparations have gone well and I am confident that I have a strong team around me to help me and push me to my highest level," he said in a press release.
The race will be the final Grand Tour for Markel Irizar, who is due to retire after the Clasica San Sebastian this year.
Also in the team are Italians Gianluca Brambilla, Giulio Ciccone, Nicola Conci and 22-year-old sprinter Matteo Moschetti, with Australian Will Clarke and Austrian Michael Gogl rounding out the team.
The Giro d'Italia starts on Saturday, May 11 in Bologna.
Trek-Segafredo for the Giro d'Italia: Gianluca Brambilla, Giulio Ciccone, Will Clarke, Nicola Conci, Michael Gogl, Markel Irizar, Bauke Mollema, Matteo Moschetti.
Bora-Hansgrohe for the Giro d'Italia
With Peter Sagan heading to the Tour of California to recover from an unsatisfying Classics campaign and hopefully turn around his lagging form before the Tour de France, Bora-Hansgrohe will rely on the German champion Pascal Ackermann for the sprints and Rafal Majka for the overall in the Giro d'Italia.
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The German team will also have Davide Formolo in the mix for the overall, with the supporters Cesare Benedetti, Jay McCarthy, Pawel Poljanski, Michael Schwarzmann and Rudiger Selig.
Bora-Hansgrohe for the Giro d'Italia: Pascal Ackermann, Cesare Benedetti, Davide Formolo, Rafal Majka, Jay McCarthy, Pawel Poljanski, Rudiger Selig, Michael Schwarzmann.
Cimolai leads Israel Cycling Academy for Giro d'Italia
Italian Davide Cimolai will lead the Israel Cycling Academy team in its second Giro d'Italia. Cimolai has had a strong start to the season, winning two stages and the overall Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, and coming fourth in the Eschborn-Frankfurt.
Cimolai says Israel Cycling Academy "are bringing a strong team. We can win a stage".
"It will be my first Giro and to do it with ICA is just wonderful. They gave me a chance to be a leader and trusted me. Now I want to reward my team with a stage victory and with the squad we have it's definitely possible," Cimolai said.
Team manager Kjell Carlstöm has faith that Cimolai can win a stage. "We feel that we can support 'Cimo' and give him a chance to win for us. He proved his ability this season with us and we feel we have a designated strong sprinter who can be there in the first part of the Giro," Carlström said.
Kristian Sbaragli, Canadian Guillaume Boivin and Irish national road race champion Conor Dunne will support Cimolai, while climbers Awet Gebremedhin and Guy Niv and breakaway specialists Ruben Plaza and Krists Neilands will take their chances on the other stages. "Overall, we feel we have a balanced and versatile team [for] this Giro," said Carlström.
It will be the first Grand Tour for second-year pro Gebremedhin. The Eritrean who gained refugee status to settle in Sweden, said he was grateful for the opportunity. "I am still in a dream. I will do everything to justify the trust that ICA has put in me," Gebremedhin said. "If you would have asked me four years ago when I was hiding in a basement if this day will ever come, I would have said you are totally crazy. But it all happened: I got to meet my parents after years of separation, got married to my fiancée who I have not seen for five years, and now the Giro. I worked hard for this but it's still unbelievable."
Israel Cycling Academy for the Giro d'Italia: Davide Cimolai, Ruben Plaza, Krists Neilands, Guillaume Boivin, Conor Dunne, Guy Niv, Awet Gebremedhin, Kristian Sbaragli.
