Giro d'Italia | Mathieu van der Poel leads Alpecin-Fenix, in search of pink and stages

Alpecin-Fenix have confirmed that Mathieu van der Poel will be leading the Belgian team at the Giro d'Italia, after a successful return to the peloton which has seen him win Dwars door Vlaanderen and Tour des Flandres.

It's unclear if the Dutchman has ambitions of finishing the race, however it shouldn't come as a surprise to see him in the battle for the pink jersey on the opening day as the summit finish in Visegrád suits him very well. Van der Poel won't find many stages that suit him well, however he should be a strong contender for some of the days as he seeks to test himself in Italy. 

The team was expected to come in with Tim Merlier who would be the team's designated sprinter, but due to injuries suffered at Paris-Roubaix he's had to forego the Giro. Alpecin will now have Jakub Mareczko on the helm of the sprint train, which should include the likes of Alexander Krieger and Stefano Oldani as main support. Dries de Bondt and Tobias Bayer should also be contenders for stage contention in some breakaways.

The lineup is completed with Oscar Riesebeek and Senne Leysen who will likely be doing a lot of work for their leaders, aswell as support in the mountains for Mareczko.

Alpecin-Fenix for Giro d'Italia: Mathieu van der Poel, Tobias Bayer, Jakub Mareczko, Oscar Riesebeek, Alexander Krieger, Dries de Bondt, Senne Leysen and Stefano Oldani.