Four-time Grand Tour stage winner Simon Gerrans has been added to the Giro d’Italia roster for ORICA-GreenEDGE next month, boosting an ambitious line up for the first three-week race of the 2015 season.

The announcement comes as the 34-year-old continues his comeback from consecutive injuries at the Amstel Gold Race this Sunday.

“The Giro is perfectly timed for my first peak of the season,” Gerrans said of the decision to add the race into his program. “With my latest racing block, the Classics and then the Tour of Romandie in my legs, I will arrive at the Giro fresh and hopefully in top condition.”

The Italian Grand Tour was one of great success in 2014. The Australian outfit claimed three stage wins, including the opening team time trial, and wore the pink leader’s jersey courtesy of Svein Tuft and Michael Matthews for seven days.

“We’re really excited to name Simon in our Giro d’Italia line-up and it will certainly give our roster even more depth in what is such a demanding race,” sport director Matt Whitesaid.

“It’s a big priority for us again this season and with Simon in top condition we will have one of the strongest cards to play for the first part of the race.

“He is coming along very well after numerous set-backs which kept him out of action for the first part of the season, but I am confident he will be at his best when we start the race.”

The 2015 Tour again kicks off with a team time trial and is followed by a number of opportunities well suited to ORICA-GreenEDGE.

“With Simon in our roster, we will have one of the most competitive line-ups for what we want to do in the race,” White said. “We’re all looking forward to being back at the Giro and trying to match the great results that we were able to achieve last year.”

For Gerrans, it will be just his second time at the Giro d’Italia.

“My only previous start in the Giro was in 2009 with the Cervelo Test Team,” the two-time Australian champion said. “I have great memories from this race, I was fortunate enough to win stage 14 from Campi Bisenzio to San Luca in a breakaway.”

“In my career to date, I have enjoyed four Grand Tour stage wins and I hope I can add to that in the Giro.

“I think there are some great opportunities in the first couple of weeks in particular. There are several stages that we anticipate will either finish in a breakaway or in a reduced bunch. If I am able to get a stage result early enough in the race and the team can perform even close to what the guys did in the opening stages last year, then the pink jersey is not out of the question for us.”

The full ORICA-GreenEDGE line up will be announced in the week leading up to the Giro d’Italia, which is held from 9-31 May.