Team LottoNL-Jumbo goes to the Giro d’Italia with Steven Kruijswijk as its leader. The Dutchman, who finished seventh overall in last year’s Italian tour, aims for another top-10 spot.

“The general classification is our main target,” Sports Director Addy Engels said. “We want to race aggressively to reach a great overall result. That doesn’t mean that we’re just going to attack every day, but when we think that it’s possible for the breakaway to make it to the finish, we’re going to try. Steven Kruijswijk has to do that himself at times, as well.”

That aggressive style brought Kruijswijk seventh overall in 2015, but he had some space because of an early time losses.

“I have to prevent losing so much time like last year,” Kruijswijk added. “If I’m able to reach the level that I had last year, it might be another beautiful Giro d’Italia.

“My preparation has been quite the same as last year and I stayed out of trouble. My strongest point is the final week and that’s the point where you can win the most, as well. I will focus on my competitors, the first two weeks, and to strike in the final one.”

Kruijswijk will be supported by the experience of Jos van Emden, Martijn Keizer, Maarten Tjallingii and Bram Tankink. Team LottoNL-Jumbo has some riders who can win stages.

“Enrico Battaglin is able to do it from a breakaway and in a small group sprint,” Engels continued. “He already proved that in the Giro d’Italia. Moreno Hofland is our fastest man and with him, we have a chance in the bunch sprints. Primoz Roglic is able to win, as well. He was already close in the Volta a Catalunya.”

The Giro d’Italia starts in LottoNL-Jumbo’s backyard on Friday, May 6th with an individual time trial in Apeldoorn. It stays in the Netherlands for three days. Jos van Eden finished fifth in the prologue of the Tour de France in Utrecht, won the time trial in the Eneco Tour and wants to show off another time in Apeldoorn. Martijn Keizer is aiming for a strong opening time trial as well.

“The time trials in the Tour de Romandie gave me a positive feeling,” Keizer says. “I’m aiming for a top-5 spot in the prologue of the Giro.”

“To start the Giro in Apeldoorn is something special for us Dutchmen,” Engels said. “It’s extra motivation. I experienced the Giro starts in Groningen in 2002 and Amsterdam in 2010 as a rider and those moments gave me a special feeling. I’ve seen some villages in Gelderland that already coloured pink, so it will give us a boost.”

Line-up:

Steven Kruijswijk, Primoz Roglic, Enrico Battaglin, Moreno Hofland, Maarten Tjallingii, Bram Tankink, Jos van Emden, Martijn Keizer and Twan Castelijns.