Despite it being his first Giro, Marcel Kittel will lead team Giant-Shimano as the Dutch team target sprint finishes. Along with Kittel, team Giant-Shimano will be taking another young, energetic sprinter in Luka Mezgec, who combined have 9 victories this season. Coach Addy Engels' selection has verified the rumours of a team aiming to win the sprints.
Outside of the sprints, Giant-Shimano have no real overall contenders, and according to Engels, the likes of Tobias Ludvigsson, Georg Preidler and Simon Geschke will be used to support the intention of strong finishes. He said "We have a strong line-up of riders who will be able to support this in terms of chasing down the breaks and also for the lead-outs". With Ludvigsson competent in climbs and time trials, Preidler skilled in tough hilly stages and Geschke an all round solid rider who finished second to Alberto Contador on stage five of Tirreno-Adriatico, team Giant-Shimano are more than capable of propelling their two fine finishers, Mezgec and Kittel into advanced positions, hopefully achieving their target. Although the lights are shining on Kittel, Mezgec will be more adapt to the hillier sprint stages with three stages of the Volta a Catalunya and one at the Handzame Classic.
When Kittel first arrived at Giant-Shimano, they saw him as a time trialist and a lead out man, but the team soon discovered he was blisteringly quick. The German started doing more sprint specific training, and continued through to 2011, where he won a stage of the Tour of Langkawi. Things advanced insantaneously from this point, and he is now renowned as one of the best sprinters in road cycling, as he claimed 4 individual Tour de France stages last year round.
Along with some stage wins at the Giro, Kittel will be hoping to compee the very best once more in the Tour de France and the Vuelta, in September. With undeniable ability, Kittel is one to be feared among other sprinters like Cavendish and Greipel, as on a good day, he can beat just about anyone.
