Team Giant-Alpecin is pleased to announce its final nine-rider lineup for the first Grand Tour of the 2015 season, the Giro d’Italia, which starts in San Lorenzo on May 9.

The team announced earlier in the month that sprinter Luka Mezgec (SLO) would definitely be lining up in San Lorenzo, and he will be joined by a strong team with lead-out capabilities and also riders who can take their chances in the breakaways if and when the opportunities arise. 

The opportunists in the lineup include Simon Geschke (GER), who will head to the Giro following a strong comeback in Liège-Bastogne-Liège after recovering from a fractured collarbone, as well as Tobias Ludvigsson (SWE), who will also have the opportunity to develop his long time trial skills in stage 14 with the 59.4km individual time trial.

This will be the first appearance in the Giro d’Italia for Americans Chad Haga and Caleb Fairly. Haga rode his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, last year and Fairly did the same at the 2013 Vuelta. The first Chinese rider ever to start in the Giro d’Italia, Cheng Ji (CHN), will be present again at the starting line in San Lorenzo.

“I am in very good form at the moment. Over the last four weeks I have trained very hard, and in the Tour de Romandie I will get the chance to gain racing rhythm,” said Mezgec, the winner of the closing stage of last year’s Giro.

“We are heading to the Giro with a strong and balanced team that will aim at sprint success, and I am happy to have great team support for that.”

Coach Addy Engels (NED) is looking forward to the Giro: “Our primary target will be the sprint stages with Mezgec, as we have a strong lead-out team including Nikias Arndt (GER), Bert De Backer (NED) and Tom Veelers (NED).

“With Simon Geschke (GER), Caleb Fairly (USA) and Tobias Ludvigsson (SWE) we have riders who can aim for a good stage result from a breakaway as well. As I said earlier, we will determine our strategy from day to day.”

Line-up

LONG-LIST
Nikias Arndt (GER)
Bert De Backer (BEL)
Caleb Fairly (USA)
Simon Geschke (GER)
Chad Haga (USA)
Cheng Ji (CHN)
Tobias Ludvigsson (SWE)
Luka Mezgec (SLO)
Tom Veelers (NED)