Irish road race champion, Rory Townsend, and his Unibet Rose Rockets team mates may have seen their Tour de France dream dashed, for this year, but they are now confirmed for Giro d'Italia.
The ProContinental team, which has made an impact on the road and with its social media output in recent years, is likely to go to the Italian Grand Tour searching for a stage win. And the likely contenders to deliver that success are Dutchmen Wout Poels and sprinter Dylan Groenewegen.
And that may be good news for Townsend, who is now in his fourth year in the paid ranks, has a contract for next season and also took his first World Tour win last season with an epic performance in Hamburg at ADAC Cyclassics.
Now aged 30, and with considerable experience, Townsend has been part of the Groenewegen lead-out in the early weeks of the season. He could get a place in the Giro team to aid the Dutch rider in the sprint but also take his chances in a breakaway, where he is a specialist.
Advertisement
RCS, which owns the Giro, today confirmed the teams that will ride the race this year, with the 18 World Tour teams guaranteed their place, with room for a further five ProTour teams. Tudor Pro Cycling and Pinarello-Q36.5 were both guaranteed their places as the top-ranked ProTour teams.
Related News
That meant there were three invites available, which have been extended to Unibet Rose Rockets and two Italian teams, as expected, in the shape of Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber and Polti-VisitMalta.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to ride our first Grand Tour," said team owner Bas Tietema. "The Giro d’Italia is one of the most iconic races in cycling, and to be there with the Unibet Rose Rockets is a milestone for our entire project.
"This wildcard is a recognition of the work of our riders, staff and partners, and it gives us the chance to present ourselves to an even larger international audience on the highest stage of the sport.”
“We are not going to the Giro d’Italia just to participate: we are going there to compete. Our clear objective is to win a stage, and naturally the first stage stands out. It’s a unique sprint opportunity where you potentially can take the pink jersey.
"That prospect motivates the entire team enormously. From day one, we want to be visible, ride offensive and we will be fully committed to making an impact.”
