When Team Sky announced its squad for this year’s Giro d’Italia on Wednesday, Italian time trial champion, Dario Cataldo, was included in the roster.

Yesterday he was interviewed by Sky Sport about his prospects and expectations for the three week Italian stage race.

“The squad,” said Cataldo “has been particularly chosen because of its abilities to perform well in the mountains. “Not only do we have Wiggins as leader of the team. We also have the two Colombians, Henao and Uran, who can do exceptional things in the mountains.”

“They have already demonstrated the exquisite skills on several occasions this year, and there’s no doubt that the will provide first class assistance to Wiggins once the roads start soaring in the Giro.”

Cataldo also hinted that one of the Colombian star climbers might be allowed to pursue their own chances should things go awry for Wiggins.

“A lot of unforeseen things may occur during a three week stage race. Should Wiggins face some sort of bad luck it will be important to have other cards to play. Therefore either Henao or Uran could be given the go ahead to attack in the mountains.”

Asked to compare the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, Cataldo declared that the former is more demanding than the latter.

“The territory that we have in Italy is the envy of the entire world. The Tour cannot be compared to the Giro in my judgement. The climbs we have in Italy are beyond comparison. Many spectators appreciate these climbs for their beauty and the excitement they help create but the riders, while appreciating the beauty, also hate them, because sometimes when you go on the Zoncolan or other extremely difficult climbs you really feel like crying, but they have an incredible charm. "

When quizzed about the favourites for the overall victory at the Giro, Cataldo displays little doubt.

“I would definitely have to say Wiggins and Nibali (Astana) are the main favourites in this year’s Giro. From my point of view they are at a higher level than the rest of the peloton. Obviously Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) will play an important role as well. Also, I would keep a watchful eye on Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida). He may have been slightly below par at the early stages of the season but during the finals stages of the Giro del Trentino and in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège he showed unmistakable signs of improvement.”

Speaking of his time with the Sky team, Cataldo acknowledged certain improvements in his ways of preparing for and riding a race.

“I have certainly undergone some changes during my time at the Sky team. Not only the way I race but perhaps even more in the way I prepare for races. The major differences between Sky and my previous teams are the methodology and the great attention to even the slightest detail, particularly on training rides. Thus the room for mistakes is reduced and every rider knows his exact role depending on who is the team leader. There’s a difference between riding for Wiggins or for Froome. Wiggins is a great long distance rider who is also very strong going uphill. He prefers a steady pace for as long as possible. Froome is better adapted to sudden changes of pace although he is not quite as strong in this department as Nibali. However, he is less reliant on a steady, continuous pace than Wiggins. We’ll be riding for him at the Giro and we will be ready to give everything for him.”