This year, there will be no British riders, competing in the Giro D'Italia which starts this weekend for the first time in sixteen years.
All of the World Tour teams plus the wild card entries so far have not selected one British rider for the race whose 98th edition starts this Saturday with a team time trial in San Lorenzo al Mare and finishes in Milan on Sunday May 31st.
Even British based Team Sky have gone all foreign for this race with Sir David Brailsford opting for a team line which will be led by Australian Richie Porte, who has already won Paris-Nice, Volta a Catalunya and Giro del Trentino this season.
Also in the team are two Italians in Salvatore Puccio and sprinter Elia Viviani with Bernhard Eisel, Sebastián Henao, Vasil Kiryienka, Leopold König, Mikel Nieve and Kanstantsin Siutsou, also named in the nine man team.
Porte told the Team Sky press office that his goal this season was the Giro and said:“The Giro d’Italia has been my main goal of the season. I’ve worked very hard through the winter and am entering the race strong, healthy and up for the challenge.
"The competition will be tough, and obviously anything can happen in a Grand Tour, but we’ve got a great group of riders going into the race and we are ready for it.”
Source: DSG
