Ian Boswell has slowly risen through the ranks at Team Sky to become one of their best mountain domestiques. The American rode a debut Grand Tour at the Vuelta last year and is looking forward to helping Mikel Landa out at the Giro.

“This is my second Grand Tour and I'm in a much better place compared to going into the Vuelta last year. Last season I was pretty nervous to be doing a Grand Tour and not really sure what to expect fully, or how I'd respond to 21 days of racing. So this year is just that bit more relaxed. I wouldn't say I'm more prepared, but I've had a really nice build into the race,” he told Team Sky’s website. “It's been a really good start to the year and we've had some cool races. Someone was telling me the other day that, outside of Catalunya which I pulled out of, every race that I've finished the team won the race. That's a good statistic I guess and hopefully we can keep it rolling!”

Boswell’s first race with Spaniard Landa couldn’t have gone any better, with the Basque star proving his Giro form by winning the Giro del Trentino.

“Trentino was great. It was good to race with Landa finally because I hadn't raced with him up to that point. We'd spoken quite a bit at the team training camps in December and January, just talking about the Giro and trying to build a little bit of a relationship. So it was nice to finally race with him and to see him in action. The guy is a phenomenally talented cyclist and a natural leader. So to have that type of rider, and for him to win that race against the calibre of riders that were there, is good for his confidence and also for the whole team.”

Boswell said that the last season has really been a breakthrough for him and he has stopped trying t prove himself to people. He feels this has made him a rider his team can rely on more and more.

“I think before I was trying to maybe prove something to myself, to the team and the fans. I wanted to become a reliable team-mate, so I could go to big races, whether it's a WorldTour race, a smaller race or even a Grand Tour, and just be counted on to be there and be in the mix - not just making up the numbers. In that sense I'm happy to be progressing and called upon to do big races like Paris-Nice, Catalunya and the Giro, and just to feel like a mature, professional rider. Someone who is comfortable within the group and always able to give something.”