Giro d'Italia | Simon Yates leads Team BikeExchange - Jayco in pursuit of podium

Team BikeExchange - Jayco have today confirmed their lineup for the upcoming Giro d'Italia, and as expected all the attention is gathered around Simon Yates as he tackles the Italian Grand Tour once again with high ambitions, in what is perhaps his final attempt to take the trophy home.

"I want to go there in my best condition and do the best result possible. If I don’t win then, then that’s ok because somebody is better than me," Yates said in a press release. Despite struggling in the heat, Yates has just came off the Vuelta a Asturias with two stage wins that confirm his good form entering the race. His performance at Paris-Nice in March, where he won the freezing final stage and almost took the race win from Primoz Roglic, proves that he is still putting out world-class numbers out on the road.

“I have just finished the Vuelta Asturias and the two stage victories there have confirmed to me the good job done during the recent altitude training camp. I’ll be leaving for Budapest ready for my fifth Giro d’Italia. I still have memories of the great celebrations on the podium in Milan last year, and it wouldn’t be bad to re-live the same emotions again," he added.

The Australian team will be backing up Yates with a very diverse team, in which Damien Howson and Lucas Hamilton are set to be key domestiques once again, and the most important support in the mountains.

Over the years the team has built a block around Yates which includes many rouleurs, and this year the selection is very similar as the team comes stocked with powerhouse riders who will be keeping the Briton safe in the flat stages. Michael Hepburn and Christopher Juul-Jensen are experienced riders who will be taking up this work. Whilst Callum Scotson, Lawson Craddock and Matteo Sobrero can also do the same, but with their climbing abilities they will be more pointed towards the hilly stages where Yates will require the collective support.

Team BikeExchange - Jayco for Giro d'Italia: Simon Yates, Michael Hepburn, Callum Scotson, Christopher Juul-Jensen, Lawson Craddock, Matteo Sobrero, Damien Howson and Lucas Hamilton.