Team Sky Line-up for Giro.

[Shortsocks]

Team-sky released their team for the giro this year.

Bradley Wiggins,
Italians Dario Cataldo and Salvatore Puccio,
Colombians Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran,
Germany's Christian Knees,
American Danny Pate,
Belarusian Kanstantsin Siutsou
Spaniard Xabier Zandio.

That's a pretty solid team. Actually a lot better than I thought. Good Colombian climbers....actually pretty Suprised wonder if this will Nibali at bay.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/22284782

Socks

[bluesea]

Wiggins will choke this Giro, and confirm why a TdF winner is not supported by his own team for the Tour.

[cfox]

Wiggins has motivation problems following big years. And last year was as big as it gets. I'll be shocked if he wins.

[FlashUNC]

Good to see Danny Pate getting a Grand Tour slot.

[Liv2RideHard]

Rigoberto Urán. Was 7th in last years Giro. Also won the white jersey in the Giro last year. Could end up like the TdF last year with Wiggo and Froome. Watch out for Rigo this year. Lots of climbing this year. Tre Cime etc. Less TT'ing. Will be a beautiful Giro.

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2013/en/

[FlashUNC]

Rigoberto Urán. Was 7th in last years Giro. Also won the white jersey in the Giro last year. Could end up like the TdF last year with Wiggo and Froome. Watch out for Rigo this year. Lots of climbing this year. Tre Cime etc. Less TT'ing. Will be a beautiful Giro.

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2013/en/

If only he didn't accept Vino's bribe to win the gold in London. I mean...botch the sprint like a Cat 5 newbie.

[Liv2RideHard]

If only he didn't accept Vino's bribe to win the gold in London. I mean...botch the sprint like a Cat 5 newbie.

Yes that was pretty bad. I vividly remember that.

[MattTuck]

Hesjedal would seem to be Garmin's best/most proven Grand Tour rider. Why have him ride the Giro again and not focus on the tour?

Is there more money/opportunity in defending the Giro title from last year?

[uno-speedo]

More importantly, Adidas or Rapha?

[Uncle Jam's Army]

To me the glaring omission is Vasili Kiryienka. That man is a beast, certainly a guy I would want to have on my team if I had Grand Tour GC hopes.

As an aside, you can set a table on that guy's back--it is that flat on a bike.

[ultraman6970]

will be interesting if he actually wins the giro, he has won so many world tittles that IMO to win another TdF is not in his agenda no more.

He can TT and he showed he was able to climb alone too, will be an interesting giro.

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

Wiggins has motivation problems following big years. And last year was as big as it gets. I'll be shocked if he wins.

Or finishes.

[Shortsocks]

Agreed on this years giro being a climbing tour. Sergio Henao won a Vuelta a Colombia, which I'm sure everyone here knows, but for those who don't is a real son of a bitch. Serious climbing. And Rigoberto Uran is a crazy good climber. I feel that the columbians are to climbing as the Americans are to eating hamburgers. :banana:

And Dario Cataldo, serious Puncheur. Perfect for bringing down attacks in the mountains.

Zandio and Cataldo are great all rounders and Cataldo has "home field" advantage and as well Vasil Kiryienka, agreed he's a beast. Looks like one of the
spetsnaz guys at that Moscow Theatre fiasco....

I feel, minus the cavendish/sagan fights, that the giro will be more interesting this year to me. Wiggo-Hesjedal-Nibali fight will be Great!

Nibali has been talking trash to Wiggins all year, but quite frankly I'm wondering if wiggo has been saving energy all year and paying back to his team, in the form of wins, all season. Or does he an older more refined quiet winner this year? Or maybe wiggo just doesn't have it in him this year like he did last year?

I really wish that sky could have had Nairo Quintana on their team this year. Made a super Colombian climbing team for the giro.

Socks

[EDS]

Hesjedal would seem to be Garmin's best/most proven Grand Tour rider. Why have him ride the Giro again and not focus on the tour?

Is there more money/opportunity in defending the Giro title from last year?

They will go with Talansky and Martin at the tour (plus Ryder if he has anything left after the Giro (though I suspect that will be a big ask despite what they said about his condition for the tour last year)).

[firerescuefin]

Wiggins has motivation problems following big years. And last year was as big as it gets. I'll be shocked if he wins.

I'm no Wiggins defender....but dude was NAILS last year...and I wasn't aware that he ever had a year before that one.... where he dominated, won a grand tour, and a gold medal. He's been on a upward track for awhile now.

The year before, he was a bad stage/ improper gearing choice for the stage away from winning the Vuelta (Angliru)....youtube it....CRAZY!...after crashing out of the TDF.

He's looked good this year. I will not be surprised to see him represent at the Giro

[monkeybanana86]

I'm no Wiggins defender....but dude was NAILS last year...and I wasn't aware that he ever had a year before that one where he dominated, won a grand tour, and a gold medal. He's been on a upward track for awhile now.

The year before, he was a bad stage/ improper gearing choice for the stage away from winning the Vuelta (Angliru)....youtube it....CRAZY!

He's looked good this year. I will not be surprised to see him represent at the Giro

I don't know much about the race but I remember seeing some crazy gearing on some blog:

Cobo 34x32
Nibali 34 x 29
Froome and Wiggins 38x32
Kessiakoff 34x28
Fuglsang and Mollema 36x28

[Liv2RideHard]

I don't know much about the race but I remember seeing some crazy gearing on some blog:

Cobo 34x32
Nibali 34 x 29
Froome and Wiggins 38x32
Kessiakoff 34x28
Fuglsang and Mollema 36x28

I have done lots of climbing in the Dolomites. Take Tre Cime...I had a 34x27. Struggled. Those climbs are insane. I was wishing for a triple or MTB gearing at times. Loved every minute of it tho.