News: Knox to ride Giro d’Italia

Britain’s James Knox debuts in a Grand Tour with a place in the Deceuninck – Quick-Step team for the Giro d’Italia alongside Elia Viviani and Bob Jungels – race starts May 11

News: Knox to ride Giro d’Italia

Winner of the famed maglia ciclamino last year, when he captured a whopping four stages, Elia Viviani will make his sixth Giro d’Italia appearance after a consistent first part of the season, which resulted in four victories, all at World Tour level. The 30-year-old comes at the start in Bologna with the beautiful and iconic Italian Champion jersey on his shoulders, an extra motivation for the best sprinter of 2018 to add to his growing palmares.

Twice winner of the best young rider classification (2016, 2017), Bob Jungels returns at the Corsa Rosa after two years hoping to be again a major player in the general classification, like he was at his previous outings, when he finished each time in the top 10. With two victories (Tour Colombia stage 3 and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne) under his belt this year, Bob is confident that he can be a protagonist, aided also by the almost 70 kilometers of individual time trial at the 102nd edition (Bologna, San Marino and Verona).

The experienced Eros Capecchi, Fabio Sabatini, Florian Sénéchal and Pieter Serry – who between them have nearly 50 Grand Tour starts – will also be on Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s squad for the first three-week race of the year, the line-up being rounded out by two Grand Tour debutants: neo-pro Mikkel Honoré, who has impressed as part of the team’s Ardennes Classics contingent, and James Knox, a top 10 finisher this season at the tough UAE Tour.

The race will kick off from the city that is home to the world’s oldest university for just the second time in its history, but unlike 1994, when the sprinters had their time in the sun, the time trialists will be the one in the spotlight now, on the difficult uphill finish to Santuario della Madonna di San Luca. Between Bologna and Verona (where the Giro d’Italia will conclude for the first time since 2010), the sprinters will have their fair share of chances, but ultimately the climbers will be provided with more opportunities to shine and make the difference.
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“We come here with two leaders: Elia Viviani – who backed by a very strong and experienced sprint train, will look to win again stages in front of his home crowd, this time in the Italian National Champion jersey – and Bob, who’s going to have another tilt at the GC favoured by the three stages against the clock. There’s a number of stages which should be important in the fight for the overall – from Ceresole Reale and Courmayeur to the one featuring both Gavia and Mortirolo later in the race – but the plan is to take it day by day and see what happens”, explained sports director Davide Bramati, who’ll lead the team from the car together with Klaas Lodewyck and Rik van Slycke.

11.05–02.06 Giro d’Italia (ITA) 2.UWT

Riders
Eros Capecchi (ITA)
Mikkel Honoré (DEN)
Bob Jungels (LUX)
James Knox (GBR)
Fabio Sabatini (ITA)
Florian Sénéchal (FRA)
Pieter Serry (BEL)
Elia Viviani (ITA)

Website www.giroditalia.it

Stages

May
11 – Stage 1 Bologna – Bologna San Luca 8.0 km (ITT)
12 – Stage 2 Bologna – Fucecchio 205.0 km
13 – Stage 3 Vinci – Orbetello 219.0 km
14 – Stage 4 Orbetello – Frascati 223.0 km
15 – Stage 5 Frascati – Terracina 140.0 km
16 – Stage 6 Cassino – San Giovanni Rotondo 238.0 km
17 – Stage 7 Vasto – L’Aquila 185.0 km
18 – Stage 8 Tortoreto Lido – Pesaro 239.0 km
19 – Stage 9 Riccione – San Marino 34.8 km (ITT)
20 – Rest Day
21 – Stage 10 Ravenna – Modena 144.0 km
22 – Stage 11 Carpi – Novi Ligure 221.0 km
23 – Stage 12 Cuneo – Pinerolo 149.0 km
24 – Stage 13 Pinerolo – Ceresole Reale (Lago Serrù) 196.0 km
25 – Stage 14 Saint Vincent – Courmayeur (Skyway Monte Bianco) 131.0 km
26 – Stage 15 Ivrea – Como 231.0 km
27 – Rest Day
28 – Stage 16 Lovere – Ponte di Legno 226.0 km
29 – Stage 17 Commezzadura (Val di Sole) – Anterselva / Antholz 181.0 km
30 – Stage 18 Valdaora / Olang – Santa Maria di Sala 221.0 km
31 – Stage 19 Treviso – San Martino di Castrozza 151.0 km