Bahrain - Victorious tease Giro d'Italia leaders for 2023

This week the Tour de France has reached the spotlight, but Bahrain - Victorious have simultaneously hinted at the riders it will take to the Giro d'Italia in 2023, having a provisional set of leaders.

Despite being deep into the off-season, some of the team's riders have headed into the Alps before the snow season. Jack Haig, Gino Mäder and Edoardo Zambanini have departed on a small training camp in northern Italy, with pictures showing the trio in the Dolomites region, where the 19th stage into Tre Cime di Lavaredo will be decided.

This is very big indicator that all three riders will head into the Giro as the (or part of the) main mountain block. As the Tour de France begins in the Basque Country, it is almost certain that Mikel Landa and Pello Bilbao will head to the Grand Boucle, specially taking into consideration the mountainous route. Damiano Caruso and Santiago Buitrago will likely have their calendars decided only later in the winter.

Haig and Mäder, third and fifth respectively at the 2021 Vuelta a Espana, are both consolidated Grand Tour riders. The Australian specially, but he has suffered from bad luck, with crashes frequently hindering his possibilities to fight in the Grand Tours, the 2022 Tour being another example as his season ended in the cobblestone stage to Arenberg.

As for Mäder, the Swissman struggled with form this year, racing to second place at the Tour de Romandie but failing to capture other meaningful results throughout the year.