Cyclingnews talks with Valverde, Cancellara, Dumoulin, Majka, Chaves, Kruisjkwijk and Roche
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Dancers on stage at the Giro team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
A fan is dressed for the Giro team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Vincenzo Nibali and Alexandr Vinokourov(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
A presenter holds the Giro d'Italia trophy.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling) does a wheelie for the crowd(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Team Katusha on stage in Apeldoorn.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Team Katusha on stage in Apeldoorn.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
BMC line up on the stage in Apeldoorn.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Marcel Kittel waves to the crowd in Apeldoorn.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Etixx-QuickStep riders descend onto the main stage in Apeldoorn.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Etixx-QuickStep's David de la Cruz(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The confetti flies in Apeldoorn at the Giro teams presentation.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A huge crowd turned out for the 2016 Giro d'Italia teams presentation on May 5 in Apeldoorn.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
A BMC rider waves to the crowd from the platform leading to the main stage in Apeldoorn.
Etixx-QuickStep riders on the platform leading to the main stage in Apeldoorn.
The Devil was on hand in Apeldoorn for the Giro d'Italia teams presentation.
Team Sky rides onto the main stage in Apeldoorn at the Giro d'Italia teams presentation.
Team Sky on the main stage in Apeldoorn at the Giro d'Italia teams presentation.
Davide Formolo gets a photo from the stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Big crowds at the team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Cannondale take the stage at the Giro team presentation.
Alejandro Valverde waits for the Movistar introduction(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Manuel Quinziato (BMC) (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
the Giro team presentation stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Daniel Oss clowns for the cameras.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Etixx-QuickStep riders wait for their introduction(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
A rider takes the stage at the Giro team presentation.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Filippo Pozzato (Wilier -Southeast) (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Vincenzo Nibali at the team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Vincenzo Nibali rides onto the stage at the team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida)(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Lampre-Merida on stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Katusha on stage at the Giro team presentation.
Dimension Data ride on stage at the Giro team presentation.
Dancers on stage at the Giro team presentation.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
A fan waves a [pink flag to celebrate the start of the Giro in Aoeldoorn.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Inside the bubble at the Giro team presentation.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Astana ride onto the stage.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Team Sky's Mikel Landa(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Team Sky's Elia Viviani(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
One of the hostesses at the team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Fabian Cancellara rides onto stage at the Giro team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
fans dresses up for the occassion(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Fabian Cancellara rides onto the Giro presentation stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
A rider takes his spot on the Giro presentation stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
The Giro team presentation stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
BMC riders take a selfie from the Giro team presentation stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Tinkoff on the Giro stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Tinkoff riders make their way toward the Giro stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
A scene from the Giro d'Italia team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
The Giro d'Italia trophy was present for the team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Big crowds for the 2016 Giro team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Plenty of photo opportunities at the Giro team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
A scene from the Giro d'Italia team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Movistar exit the stage after the team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Team Sky on stage at the Giro d'Italia presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
AG2R's Domenico Pozzovivo(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
The Devil went to Holland(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal)(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Damiano Cunego (Nippo - Vini Fantini)(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
The Gazprom-RusVelo team on stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Filippo Pozzato (Wilier -Southeast) (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
The Giro trophy center stage at the presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
dancers entertain the crowds at the Giro presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Astana ride on stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Astana on stage at the Giro d'Italia presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Astana ride on stage(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Big crowds for the 2016 Giro team presentation(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
The final step in the build-up to the 99th Giro d’Italia came on Thursday evening as crowds gathered in Apeldoorn to welcome riders at the teams presentation.
Fully kitted out, the riders rode, team-by-team, out of the City Hall building and into the Market Square, completing a lap of a pink-carpeted runway before taking to the stage.
Behind the scenes, before venturing out, the riders passed through a media zone, where Cyclingnews was on hand to grab a word with some of the protagonists of the next three weeks.
Flick through the gallery above for all the best images from the event, and scroll below for the riders’ quotes. For all our Giro d’Italia build-up coverage, click here.
I’m here with a great team behind me and we’re really up for trying to win the Giro.
I feel good. My preparation has been perfect. I’m here with a fresh head, with drive, and with form. So now I just need luck to add to that.
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We’ll have to be attentive, ride at the front, because we know how the roads are here in Holland - narrow, with road furniture, and also wind, so we’ll have to be up there.
[The TT course] was actually perfect for me. I was preparing well, had good feelings, good confidence, but I’m looking like an outsider now [after falling ill]. I will do my best and I will not give up.
I might go for a walk in the morning but the rest will just be focusing on those 9.8 kilometres. If I have energy left, good, if not, we will see. The first rule is the health then second is what I was aiming for. First thing, my health is coming back and I can be at the start line. If I had a fever again today I wouldn’t be here.
I like the Giro, I have finished in the top 10 two times and now it’s a bit of a bigger step: top 3. I feel good, and we wait for the mountains. For sure I’m here to win a stage and also get in the top 3. There are a lot of good riders, the harder the race the better, and we’ll also need to have good luck.
I’m calm, happy. We have the chance to get good results in Holland, also we have little wind which is an advantage for those of us who don’t weigh very much. We’re going for two sprint stages with Caleb then we’ll think about the GC for me.
My goal is to improve on last year’s result [7th overall]. Last year I lost time in the first week, so this time I need to concentrate on not losing any time in the first two weeks and put myself in a good position for the final week and the mountains.
When you come here with a team that has to ride for a top leader for GC, it’s all about seizing opportunities when they come. When it comes to the briefing and they say ‘alright Nico maybe today you can go in the breakaway,’ I’ll try to give it my best shot.
Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.
