Riccardo Zoidl was one of the big revelations of the 2013 season and the overall winner of the Europe Tour earned a contract with the Trek team. He has been scheduled to make his debut in the Giro d'Italia in his first year at the highest level.

Riccardo Zoidl started the season as a lesser-known rider on the Austrian Team Gourmetfein - Simplon but as 2013 came to an end, the 25-year-old has escaped the anonymity. Victories in three 2.2 races, a win in the one-day race Croatia-Slovenia, a national road race title and a breakthrough win against the world's best riders in the Tour of Austria turned it into a fantastic season that was crowned with the overall win in the UCI Europe Tour.

Those results earned him a contract with the Trek team for the 2014 season and so he will now race on the highest level. Being a strong climber with a solid time trial, he has all the characteristics to become a great stage racer and that is what the 25-year-old will try to achieve.

At the world championships, Zoidl told CyclingQuotes that his first year will be all about confirming his potential and proving that the Tour of Austria was not a one-hit wonder. He will get the chance to do so in one of the biggest races on the calendar.

"I have been scheduled for the Giro," he told Laola1.at after returning from the first Trek gathering in Belgium.

If he gets selected for the Giro, Zoidl could even get some freedom in the Italian race. With the Schleck brothers focusing on the Tour de France, the team has no genuine winner candidate in its ranks. Julian Arredondo, Robert Kiserlovski and Haimar Zubeldia all have the potential to shine in grand tours and at the moment, Kiserlovski appears to be the most likely Giro captain. As the Croatian is unlikely to win the race, Zoidl may be allowed to look for some personal success during the three-week race.