Visma rider on Albanian Grande Partenza: "When I arrived here in the city, there was simply no sign that the Giro would start here"

Team Visma | Lease a Bike are starting the Giro d'Italia with high ambitions taking into consideration Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij can battle for all kinds of sprint finishes whilst Simon Yates is gearing up for the GC battle. Dylan van Baarle, set to help all of them throughout the upcoming three weeks, has talked about the team's ambitions and the Albanian start to th erace.

"It was wonderful to have a spring without illness. It was very nice to start 2025 like this. Of course we expected and hoped for more. But it is what it is and now I am looking forward to the Giro d'Italia again, which I am really looking forward to," van Baarle said in the In Koers podcast.

"I feel very good. I have had some very nice days so far. In addition, I have also had a good feeling about my last classics. I feel that the hardness is returning, and I definitely need that to reach a high level. In any case, I am confident at the start".

Despite another collarbone fracture in January, the Dutchman has been able to resume training and racing at a high level for some months now and believes he is arriving at the Giro with better form than what he had in the classics. This would be important, taking into consideration today is a day where the pink jersey is possible but the team will need it's riders in top condition.

"When we were exploring the final of the first stage, we rode into the city and there were still large sections of asphalt gone. They were filling them in at their leisure," he joked. "The asphalt is okay on the climb, but not very wide. The descent is also quite dangerous. They really ride like crazy here. I think Max Verstappen defends less sharply in Formula 1".

He shared an interesting remark regarding the mood in the city of Tirana. "When I arrived here in the city, there was simply no sign that the Giro would start here. No advertising, nothing at all. During the team presentation, a Dutch-speaking man came up to us and asked if this was actually the highest level of cycling. He also thought we were team Netherlands, haha".

He believes his teammates can survive the main climb of the day which will be ridden twice in the finale, but a lot will depend on the small details. "We have reconnoitered the first stage, and with Wout and Olav we may have two men who can compete for the win. I think that the climb may not be the most important thing yet, but especially the position towards the climb and the descent can be crucial".

Whether van Baarle himself will be chasing stage wins depends a lot on what his leaders show throughout the three weeks: "With the team, we are of course there to win stages and to ride a good classification with Simon [Yates]. I myself hope to anticipate in some stages to join the breakaway, and from there try to win a stage. But if Simon does well, then it will of course become a more helping role, but otherwise I will definitely try".